Unholy Crusade: Act 1
by Masquerade
Summary: In the hunt for Imperfect Cell, a strange girl with Z fighter powers gets thrown into the mix, and the action really heats up! Not your typical Cell romance! Includes an end of episode bonus after each chapter! ACT 1 FINISHED!
1. Lawless and Reckless

As you have been told many times, DBZ is © Akira Toriyama and Bird Studios

As you have been told many times, DBZ is © Akira Toriyama and Bird Studios

Which means I own nothing except my own characters

Anyway, on with the show!

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Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 1: Lawless and Reckless

"Oh my God…"

Selena stared out at the mass of abandoned clothes lying in the street. She reached behind her, and clutched her bo staff in uneasiness. All of the clothes belonged to men, women, and children of every size, age, and race. Some of the clothes, mostly the shirts, had holes in them. Some guns and weapons were lying next to the clothes, indicating that the wearers were trying to defend themselves.

__

Someone or something killed these people by stabbing them. But where are the bodies?

Selena, not to be overwhelmed so easily, jumped back on her hovering swoop bike and cruised down the street. The air beneath her small hovercraft disturbed some of the clothes and items. Selena cautiously looked around as she continued down the street for any sign of the attacker. She couldn't see anything suspicious, and she especially couldn't feel any ki signatures. She noticed that many of the doors were kicked in and some of the windows were shattered almost completely. In a telephone booth lay a green shirt of a man, and a phone hanging off of its hook.

__

That man was trying to get help…

She also noticed several cars that had crashed into buildings or telephone polls, and slumped on the wheels were stabbed shirts. Selena parked her swoop next to one, and looked through the broken windows.

__

These people were trying to escape…How strange, it takes one stab just to kill these people. The murderer was not a human…

She shivered at the thought. It was just like in the horror movies. Deciding that she didn't feel safe in the ghost town Sancho City had become, she jumped back on her swoop and pulled her staff from the sheathe on her back. The staff was a wooden staff with a large, diamond shaped jewel at the very top. It was a ki crystal, ki energy turned into a solid gem. She could concentrate her ki into the crystal and form an energy blast strong enough to wipe out a whole forest. It was her deadliest weapon, the ki staff. 

She took the swoop off park, and motored away from the crashed cars. She switched the hover gears to a higher setting, forcing the bike to propel upward, further off the ground. She wanted to stay off the streets and be in the air. She felt safer that way. Still she looked around the streets and buildings as she cruised at a lofty ten feet off the ground. She still didn't feel safe, even though she couldn't feel any ki readings at all.

__

Not even a human ki. There were no survivors in this town, and if anyone did survive, they're long gone. I think whatever killed these people left too. So, I shouldn't have anything to worry about, but what the hell did this? What is going on here?

Suddenly, she felt a huge burst of ki right in front of her, and looked to see a ki blast headed her way. The energy burst hit her swoop, and it exploded, causing Selena to fall from it and straight to the ground on her back. 

"Ow…" she moaned. Then she noted she was alive, and immediately jumped to her feet and took off running. "AAAA! Luck of the Irish! I can't believe that I didn't just die!" Something jumped in front of her, and palm punched her sixteen feet away. Selena skidded on her shoulder and side to a stop, then quickly stood up with her staff in her hands. She didn't even feel that hit coming. Before she could even take a defensive position, something ran at her. A horrible monster she had never seen before was rushing to her at cheetah speed. The only thing she could do in her fear and panic was scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

^

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Thank God for that passer by! I need more energy with that Namek on my tail!

Cell lunged for the girl with his tail posed for the kill. Her life energy and soul were his for the taking, and he so desperately needed it. Piccolo and Tien were on to him, and he needed a huge power boost for his quick getaway. The girl on the swoop was just what he was praying for. She was more than enough according to his sensors.

__

A power level of 20. Not bad for an average human off the street… He had previously thought as she had entered the town to see his bodyless carnage. He stalked her the rest of the way through town until she tried to fly up higher in the air. He had to stop her before the Namek or the triclops could see her. Now, he had her right where he wanted her. A power level of 20 to his 5,000,000 was not a problem at all.

She screamed and he prepared to lunge and pin her to the ground with his tail. Suddenly, she vanished, and Cell skidded to a halt, causing his body to turn sideways in the swerve.

__

Too late… he groaned to himself, looking up at the air. _He saved her._ He could see Piccolo holding the girl in one arm, and firing a Makono Blast with his free hand. Cell quickly jumped out of the way, letting the harmful energy decimate the spot where he was standing. He hid behind an unharmed, parked car and waited for the right moment to strike again.

Piccolo landed on the ground, and set the girl down.

"Get out of here." He ordered her. She looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

"What?"

"I said get out of here!" he barked, pushing her shoulder as a signal to leave immediately. "Don't stay here! Go!" Not to be ordered for a third time, Selena ran as fast as she could while Piccolo scanned the area for his prey. Cell was an android, so he could hide his power level among his mechanized bones and muscles. That frustrated the hell out of Piccolo, because he couldn't find Cell unless the monster attacked someone.

"Look out!" Tien called from the air. Then Piccolo spotted Cell making a mad dash for the leaving girl. Piccolo flew right behind him. 

"Oh no you don't!" Piccolo called after Cell. The android ignored him, and set his sights on the girl.

__

Just a few seconds. All I need is a few seconds…

Selena quickened her pace, hearing the monster's running steps smash loudly behind her. She could hear him get so close to her that he could reach out and stab her then and there. Cell closed in on her, and swiped the back of her head with a hand. She fell sideways to the ground and out of the monster's path. She dropped her staff, so she tried to shield herself by curling up in a tight ball and hiding her face under her arms. She heard the monster's loud steps running towards her, determined to kill her like he did the people of Sancho City. 

She dared to peak behind her barrier to see the monster charging towards her, and then her rescuer tackling the beast to the ground, and proceeding to punch its lights out. The monster defended with its arms, and tried to strike the man with its tail. Selena took a closer look at the tail, and noticed the syringe on the very end of it. Long, sharp, and deadly enough to kill a man.

__

That would explain the stab holes in those clothes. But…why?

Someone landed next to her, and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" a man's voice asked. She quickly grabbed her staff before fully standing up. 

"Yeah." She answered, looking at her second rescuer. Unlike the first one, who had green skin, pointed ears, and overall looked like he came from outer space, the second one looked more human, but he just had one extra eye in the middle of his forehead. Today was just getting too weird for her. "Who are you?"

"No time now." The man shook his head. "C'mon, I gotta get you outta here." He grabbed her wrist and began leading her down a nearby alley.

"Tenshinhan!" Cell roared in the triclops's direction. "Get back here with my prey!" Cell would have run after him if he wasn't locked in desperate combat with the Namek warrior. 

"Tenshinhan?" Selena wondered, looking at the back of the man's head.

"Call me Tien." He requested over his shoulder. He kept running and dragging her with him until they reached the other side of the alley, and onto a separate street. "Okay, we're just about out of here…this way!"

"Wait!" Selena stopped, holding her ground firmly. She glared at him, still trying to recover from her encounter. "Listen, Mr. Tien, I wanna know what's going on here! What was that thing?!"

"I'll explain everything later." He assured, tugging on her wrist. "Let's get you out of here." He couldn't get her to budge. She stayed where she was, feet firmly planted on the ground. 

"You tell me what's going on now!" she suggested. "What was that thing?"

"A man-eating monster, alright?! Now c'mon!"

"And you're just going to abandon your friend back there?!"

"Hey, he's fought that thing before. He knows what he's doing. He'll be fine, now let's go…"

"No." Selena firmly stated. "I want to help kill it."

"What?! You've got to be kidding…"

"I don't kid about this kind of stuff. I don't want a monster like that running around and killing people. Take me to it. I want to help kill it."

"You talk like you're a guardian, kid. Are you sure you can…"

"Let's just say that I hung around a guardian for too long." Selena insisted, clutching her staff. "Please, Mr. Tien, trust me. Take me back to it. I'm not afraid."

"You were plenty afraid of it back there." Tien pointed out. That earned him an angrier look from Selena.

"It took me by surprise, alright?! Now take me to it! **_NOW!!!_**"

Well, Tien was left with no choice…

^

Cell and Piccolo's fight rocketed into the air. Cell launched the fastest punches he could pull while Piccolo blocked every single one of them with his forearms and hands. When Piccolo tried to pull a punch of his own, Cell caught it in his clawed hand and both were locked in a push for power. They both pitched in their free hands for more strength, but both were very evenly matched. One and the other wouldn't budge. 

Then, Cell caught something out of the corner of his eye. He kept his concentration on Piccolo, and slightly turned his head to look down at the ground. He saw the girl rushing to the scene of the fight, then aim the jeweled end of her staff at the two fighters. Cell smiled to himself, and turned back to Piccolo.

"Who's the girl?"

"Eh?" Piccolo blinked, trying not to loose his concentration.

"You know her. Who is she, Piccolo?"

"Keep her out of this." Piccolo growled through his clenched teeth. "Her life is mine."

"I'm sure she'll make a lovely wife for you." Cell laughed, slowly arching his back, leaning his head away. Without warning, Cell straightened his back again, and smashed his head into Piccolo's forehead. The Namek lost his concentration, and Cell threw his opponent to the ground. Piccolo was smashed into the cement street, but he slowly began to raise himself to his knees. Cell dove down to the Namek, tail arched and ready to rid himself of his persistent hunter. Suddenly, the girl ran in front of Piccolo to protect him, and raised the jewel end of her staff at Cell. The jewel began to glow as ki began to gather at a massive rate.

"What the…" Piccolo blinked in surprise. 

"Tamashii no Ya!" Selena called, then an energy blast shot from the jewel and headed in Cell's direction. Sensing nothing that would threaten his life, Cell stopped his plummet in mid air, and crossed his arms in a X for the block. The blast pounded into him, causing a mid air explosion and billowing black smoke. Selena turned to Piccolo, and freed one hand from her staff to help him up. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." He growled, getting back to his feet. "But I told you to get out of here. Why aren't you gone yet?"

"Because I want to help you." She explained. "My name is Shikimi Lawless, but my friends call me Selena, and I'm a member of the Four Guardians. Since you helped me get away from that monster, I'll help you."

"Well, now we're even!" Piccolo snapped, now get out of here!" Suddenly, he flung a blast just above her head, trying to hit the unhurt Cell that was charging towards them. Cell used a Sansoken to quickly disappear from the blast, then reappear back in his path towards the two warriors.

"I can't believe he survived that!" Selena growled, then jumped at him for the charge.

"Lawless!" Piccolo shouted after the girl. "Stay away from him! You don't stand a chance!"

"Check this out." She mumbled as she headed towards the creature. Cell just smiled, and prepared a fist to swing. Selena arched her arms, and swung her staff at the monster. Cell grabbed the staff with one hand, and flung his fist towards her face. Selena ducked her head out of the way and only felt his thumb graze her cheek. She swiftly kicked a foot up from underneath her staff, and the ball of her foot came in contact with Cell's chin. Taken by surprise, Cell faltered backward, but not before flinging a punch with his other hand and hitting Selena's nose. They both fell to the ground, but Cell backfliped once to land on his feet, but Selena wasn't that prepared. She fell to the street on her back.

Piccolo watched as Cell allowed the girl to stand up. Selena kept her grip on the staff and glared at the monster.

"Who are you?" Selena demanded. "Why are you killing these innocent people?"

"Feh." Cell spat to the side. "I have already explained myself once to the Namek, so I won't bother doing so again. Why don't you ask him?"

"Namek?" Selena glanced for a split second out of the corner of her eye. Piccolo still stood where he had fallen, hands balled into fists, teeth clenched in frustration, watching on to strike at the right moment. He was a true warrior. She felt as though she had met him before. He looked kinda like…

"But what about you, my dear?" Cell gently questioned the girl. "You are very strong for someone your age. I would like to learn your name."

"Let's get one thing straight first." Selena growled, pointing the ki jewel at Cell. "I'm not 'your dear' or anyone else's 'dear' for that matter, so don't call me that again." Cell chuckled.

"Charming." He commented. "Now I really want to know more about you."

"Just call me Selena for now. How about you, what's your name?"

"I once again refer you to the Namek." Cell smiled. "But I am asking the questions here. Now then, tell me how you got so strong. There aren't very many like you."

"Ever since I was six, I was trained to be the perfect warrior. That's all I'm going to say."

"Oh really?" Cell flashed her a challenging grin of four sharp fangs. "Perfect, you say? Well, if you're putting it that way…" He charged towards her. "…then this planet isn't big enough for the two of us!" He punched her with all the strength his arm could gather in a split second. Selena was sent flying through a glass window, and into an empty building. Cell ran in after her, laughing.

"NO!" Piccolo cried rushing in after him. Cell thought quickly, and fired a Kienzan disk at the Namekian warrior. Piccolo quickly flew up into the air from it, and the energy disk sliced through a building before exploding. Piccolo gathered his hands above his head to blow up the building with a Masenko, but he suddenly stopped as Selena's face popped into his mind.

__

That girl is in there. If I destroy the building, then I'll destroy her too.

He dropped his hands, and stared at the rooftop of the building below him.

He came up with a better idea, and he lowered himself to the ground and lowered his ki as well.

^

Selena had been knocked through a brick wall, and into an air vent built close to the floor. She slowly rolled from her side to her stomach. Her head hurt a lot, and she assumed that her nose was broken. She crawled as far from the hole she made as she could. Her current instinct was to hide, and not fight. 

__

That one punch could have killed me! He's a lot stronger than I thought he was. What am I doing? I can't fight this thing! What am I going to do?

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH!…

The monster's footsteps began stepping closer to the wall. Selena backed up a little more from the hole. She began to feel very scared, but she was still confident that she could survive. But she had dropped her staff when she crashed through the window, so she couldn't blast the thing. And besides, it was too strong for her Spirit Arrow. Even though she had no clue what to do, she kept confident that she could get away from the monster alive.

Suddenly, his tail shot through the hole and slammed into the wall of the metal vent. Selena screamed in surprise, and backed away. Big mistake, she just gave away her hiding place. The tail retracted, and one of Cell's arms reached out for her. She backed away further still, and Cell only managed to grab some of her hair. He started to drag her out, but Selena tugged harder, causing her hair to be ripped off. She yelped in pain and continued to back away. Cell dropped the lock of hair in his fist, and kept reaching.

"You know this is futile, Selena." Cell reasoned, sounding very amused. "Now, be a good girl and come here."

"So that you could kill me like you did these innocent people?!" Selena barked. "Dream on!" Cell laughed at her.

"It is useless to resist. I could just pull out this whole wall and expose your hiding place, but this is more fun."

Fun? He thought that torturing and killing people like this was fun?! Selena clenched her teeth in anger.

"You sick, twisted weirdo!" she screamed at him. "I can't allow you to live!"

"And what will you do?" Cell dared. "Swing your stick at me? Use those pathetic attacks. Don't get me wrong Selena, you are impressive for a human, but I have faced much more powerful foes than you." Selena growled in frustration. Cell couldn't reach her since she had backed up as far as her stitched side would allow, but she wasn't sure if he would get bored and rip the wall apart like he said he would. She was all out of ideas, but she was still determined to live.

She put a little more strength into her arms, and shuffled backward away from Cell's reach one last time, and then something tapped her foot. She bent her head down to see what it was. It was a baited mousetrap. Then she remembered that the Namek was still outside. Maybe she could buy him some time. She carefully reached behind her and grabbed the mousetrap by the sides and lifted it to her view. The trap was set and ready to spring once the bait was taken off the pressure plate. She tapped the small pint of cheese off the pressure plate, then used a corner of the wooden trap to tap on the ground for Cell to hear. He made another reach for her, and she handed him the trap.

^

SNAP!

"OW!" Cell yelped, pulling his hand back. He narrowed his eyes at the mousetrap that had caught four of his fingers under the painful metal wire. From inside the vent, Selena laughed at him. Cell frowned and sighed. "Very resourceful, Selena." He congratulated, freeing his hand. "However, I'm not so sure what you're trying to accomplish." He put his hands on the side of the hole, and began go gather enough ki to break apart the brick wall. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the back of his head, and pushed Cell's face through the wall. Then, it flung him out of the building, where Cell crashed into another one on the opposite end of the street.

"PICCOLO!" Cell angrily called as he was smashed through the wall. 

"Piccolo?" Selena wondered, crawling back up to the hole. She saw the Namek standing next to the hole, and watching Cell on the other side of the street. Selena smiled at hearing the Namek's name. "So you're Piccolo." Piccolo looked down at Selena angrily. 

"Why are you still here?!" he snapped at her. "He could have killed you!"

"But he didn't." Selena groaned as she crawled out of the hole. "So there."

"Why are you so set on fighting him? You don't stand a chance against a power like that."

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't." Selena growled at him. "Besides, he blew up my swoop bike, and I wanna get him for that."

"This is no time to avenge your stupid…" Piccolo began to argue, but a large ki blast interrupted him.

"KIKOHO! HA!" Tien's trademark attack pummeled into Cell and his surroundings. Piccolo and Selena were blown off their feet by the power of the attack, and blinded by the bright light it caused. Cell was blown further down the street, but he used that as his getaway jumpstart. He flipped himself foreword, let the wind and power of Tien's blast catch under his wings, and the android flew away from the city. As the light died down, Tien roared. "Dammit! He got away!"

"What?!" Piccolo demanded, running out of the building to the street. He tried to feel out Cell's ki, but he felt nothing. "No…"

"Huh?" Selena wondered, stepping out of the building, holding her stinging side with one hand. She looked around, and saw a huge square-shaped crater in the middle of the street. Then she looked over at Tien as he landed by Piccolo's side.

"I think I saw him head that way." Tien said to the Namek, pointing further down the street. "I'll bet he didn't get too far."

"Right." Piccolo nodded. "You search from the air, and I'll walk around on foot."

"Okay."

"What about me?" Selena butted in. Tien and Piccolo looked at her as she picked up her staff from the ground.

"You get out of here." Piccolo ordered. "I don't care how strong you think you are, this is dangerous."

"So tell me something I don't know." Selena snapped at him. 

"I'm not getting you involved in this just because of your stupid bicycle."

"It's not a bicycle, it's a swoop. And I'm not fighting just because of that. You've probably never heard of me, but I'm a member of the Four Guardians. We protect mankind from threats like that monster, and we do so with the best of our ability."

"I know who you are." Piccolo nodded. "And I know about the Guardians. I thought your original job was to protect the Spring of Sacred Water on the Irish plains."

"Huh?" Tien blinked, scratching his bald head in confusion. "Piccolo, you know this girl?"

"No, but Kami does."

"I knew it!" Selena happily cried. "I took one look at your skin, and I thought you might have been related to Kami-sama! I haven't seen him in ages! How's he doing?!"

"Not now." Piccolo shook his head stubbornly. "Just leave, and get as far away from that monster as you can."

"Can you at least tell me its name?" Selena asked, taking out a Capsule case.

"Its name is Cell. Satisfied?"

"For now, yes." Selena nodded, picking out a Capsule, and flung it away from her. In a puff of smoke, another swoop bike appeared, and Selena began walking towards it. Tien and Piccolo's jaws dropped.

"You had another bike?" Tien outbursted. "But you were really upset about the first…"

"That was the Reckless 1 Cell blew up. This is Reckless 2."

"…wait a minute, how many bikes do you have?"

"Five." Selena answered happily.

Piccolo and Tien face vaulted.

"Well, I'm off." Selena announced, starting up her swoop. "Thanks for saving me guys. Oh, and Piccolo, tell Kami-sama I said hi, alright?"

"…" The Namek didn't answer as he stood back up on his feet. Selena hit the gas pedal and drove down the street. Piccolo watched after her in worry. "Why do I get the strangest feeling that we're going to run into her again?"

"I dunno." Tien admitted, shrugging. "C'mon, let's go find Cell. He should still be around."

^

Cell watched Selena leave on another swoop bike, and he didn't take his eyes off of her until she was outside the city limit. He stood on the roof of a skyscraper, and watched his two hunters search for him. As Tien began to rise in the air, Cell climbed down the other side of the building, and into a window on the top floor. He then leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes and felt out Piccolo and Tien's ki as they searched for him.

__

This Selena girl fascinates me. She is perhaps the only human I have ever met who was not afraid to fight me. I must know more about her. Apparently, she is more powerful than even she believes. Expect us to meet again, my dear. Expect us to meet very soon…

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To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS! **

Selena: Hey guys, I got a great idea! Let's be Sorcerer Hunter characters!

****

(Piccolo, Tien, and Cell show up.)

Tien: Hey, cool idea! I love that show!

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Cell: **smiles** And what gave you this idea?

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Piccolo:

Selena: Oh, it's just for fun. I'll be Tira! **snaps her fingers, and is instantly wearing the huge glasses and long red coat** How do I look?

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Cell and Tien: **applauds** Alright!

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Piccolo: …

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Selena/Tira: So, who do you guys wanna be?

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Tien: Piccolo is the perfect Gateo.

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Piccolo: **vein pop** Leave me outta this…

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Selena/Tira: **looks Piccolo over** Nah. He'd make a better Marron.

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Tien: Hey, you're right! Even better!

****

Cell: **lol** I can't quite picture Piccolo with long, black hair.

****

Piccolo: **sweatdrop** …

****

(Selena snaps her fingers, and Piccolo is instantly dressed in Marron Glaze's white robes and he had a wig of long, black hair on his head.)

Piccolo/Marron: **lip quivers in helplessness**

****

Selena: **lol** Wow, Piccolo, you look really cool in that.

****

Piccolo/Marron: Oh shut up.

****

(Cell falls over laughing hysterically.)

Tien: **thinks** Well, now I'm with the choices of Carrot and Gateo…

****

Selena: …and Chocolate!

****

Cell: **pictures Tien in Chocolate's outfit, and laughs even harder**

****

Tien: **sweatdrop** I'll be Gateo. Now, how does this work… **snaps his fingers and is wearing Gateo clothes** Yes!

****

Selena/Tira: **looks over at Cell** And last but not least…now who could Cell be?

****

Piccolo/Marron: **snaps his fingers, and Cell is dressed as Big Momma**

****

Cell/Big Momma: **stops laughing and becomes mortified** AAAAAAAAA! I'M IN A DRESS! WHO PUT ME IN A DRESS?! AAAAAAA!

****

Tien/Gateo: **lol**

****

Selena/Tira: **glares at Piccolo** That was mean!

****

Piccolo/Marron: No, that was for laughing at me. **snaps his fingers and Cell's outfit changes into Dota's clothes** Now that's mean.

****

Cell/Dota: **panicking** AAAAAAA! I'M IN A SKIMY DRESS NOW! MY BUTT'S SHOWING! HELLLLP!

****

Tien/Gateo: **rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off, and doing an anime take**

****

Selena/Tira: **snaps her fingers, and Cell's outfit changes to Carrot's tanktop and pants** Much better.

****

Cell/Carrot: **calms down** Thank…you…Selena!

****

Selena/Tira: **kawai smile** No problem.

****

Tien/Gateo: Well, that's all of us…but what about Chocolate? Who's going to be her?

****

Selena/Tira: Well, there'll be another female cast member in Unholy Crusade coming in chapter two, but she's not here yet. Darn, **a little bummed** it would be great if she was here.

****

Cell/Carrot: Actually, I'm kinda happy there's no Chocolate. The last thing a guy like me needs is two psychopathic bitches in skimpy clothes chasing me around with whips.

****

Selena/Tira: **glares** What was that?

****

Cell/Carrot: **sweatdrop** Huh?

****

Selena/Tira: You called me the "b" word…you must pay…

****

Piccolo and Tien: Uh oh! **runs and hides**

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Selena/Tira: **steps out of her shoes, takes off her glasses, then flings off her red coat and reveals her true form** **laughs** Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!

****

Cell/Carrot: **more sweatdrops** I'm in trouble, right? Oh well, at least Chocolate isn't here…

****

Masquerade/Chocolate: **flings off her blue coat, a long, thin string cuts through the screen and reveals Masquerade, the fanfic's author, dressed as Chocolate's true form** **chuckles through her lips**

****

Cell/Carrot: **freaks** OH **[CENSORED!]**

Masq/Chocolate: **in a sexy voice** Most women take offense at such language, Seru… **bites down on her string** …or shall I call you darling?

****

Cell/Carrot: **backs away in fear** Eeeeeeek…

****

Masq/Chocolate: **turns to Selena** Sister, dear, shall we teach Darling a valuable lesson?

****

Selena/Tira: **in a sexy voice** Yes, we shall.

****

(Cell doesn't wait around. He runs for his life, and Masq and Selena are hot on his tail, cracking their whips at him.)

Cell/Carrot: **crying and screaming as he's getting whipped** AAAAAA! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS!…

****

Piccolo and Tien: **laugh and point at Cell as he's chased into the distance**

****

(Piccolo snaps his fingers, and is back in his cape, gi, and turban.)

Piccolo: I'll admit that it was entertaining…

****

Tien: **snaps his fingers, and is back in his regular clothes** Yeah. And Masquerade showing up was a pretty big surprise. I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime…

****

Piccolo: **walks away** I probably wouldn't mind either. It depends on who Selena dresses me up as…

****

Tien: Yeah, that's the only part any of us have to worry about…

****

To be continued?

****


	2. Sakura-chan

Unholy Crusade ****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 2: Sakura-chan

__

Kami…

Selena couldn't stop thinking about him as she piloted the Reckless 2 to the nearest town. She wondered how he was doing; it had been years since she last saw him. She missed his kind smile and amused chuckle occasionally, because it reminded her of her father. 

__

Papa…

Shaking the thoughts of the two men out of her head, she quickly took out a pocket map from her jean pocket, and took a look at where she was as she drove. She had left Sancho City and was heading towards Pepper. Pepper City was very big, with lots of people. Remembering the monster named Cell, Selena didn't know if that was good or bad. If Pepper City had more people than Cell could handle, then he would stay away. However, if he was looking for lots of people, then Pepper was pay dirt.

__

50/50 chance. I hate 50/50 chances…

Well, I'll gamble and head there. I'll call grandma and grandpa while I'm there…

She took a moment to sniff one of her armpits, and wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant aroma of her sweaty skin.

__

Maybe I'll take a hotel room and take a bath while I'm at it. I've got money.

^

Cell swiftly climbed up a tall building and swung his body onto the flat roof. He stood up and walked to the opposite edge to look out at the titanic city of Pepper. It stretched out to the horizon, and all the streets were busy with humans needing to get from point A to point B in a hurry. Cell grinned as his mouth watered.

__

So many people…such a large city…I don't know where to start…I feel like a child in a candy shop! Perhaps I'll strike at the heart of the city and work my way out to the limits. This is going to be fun!

He chuckled to himself, feeling out thousands of low human ki for any sign of danger. He felt something weird to the east of his building, and he turned his head in that direction. The ki signal he received was familiar. He recognized it immediately.

__

There you are! I was wondering if you would pass through this way, Selena.

He licked his leathery lips at a budding idea.

__

This will be very fun.

But first, I must find out what her business is here…

^

Selena found a small but suitable motel, and checked in a room for about two hours. As soon as she walked in the door to her room, she opened up her capsule case and popped open the hoi-poi capsule for her suitcase. After picking out a clean change of clothes, she headed into the bathroom.

"I'm sweatin like a horse…" she complained as she turned on the hot water and took off her shirt and pants. "That fight with that monster took a lot out of me." She had been ignoring the pain in her neck and back after she had crashed through that wall. Also, her nose wasn't quite broken. It was just a little bruised, which was all. He didn't hit her as hard as she thought he had.

After the tub was full, Selena closed the faucet tap and slipped into the water. 

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" she sighed in pleasure. "Now that's nice…" She began scrubbing herself up a bit, and shampooing and rinsing her hair while humming a quick and happy Irish reel through her closed lips. After she was all clean, she relaxed in the warm water, letting her mussels relax in the warmth.

"I could stay in here forever…" she murmured to herself, feeling a little sleepy. She hummed to herself again, this time a much slower and relaxed tune. Unfortunately, the hot atmosphere, her fatigue, and her humming was beginning to tire her. She unknowingly fell asleep.

^

__

She was running…

What for, she wasn't sure…

She was chasing someone…

That someone opened a door, walked through, and closed it behind them…

She opened the door and ran inside…

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!"

She wasn't in a room…

She was in a forest…

The door slammed behind her…

She looked behind her, and the door had vanished into more forest…

It began to rain, and thunder rumbled in the distance…

She felt a drop on her head, and walked foreword…

A drop hit her hand…

She instinctively looked at it…

The drop wasn't a rain drop…

It was blood…

She looked into the sky…

The raindrops were red…

It was raining blood…

She cried in disgust, and ran foreword to find shelter…

She was becoming soaked in blood from the sky…

She didn't like it…

She couldn't accept it…

She wanted to get out…

She screamed…

^

She slowly woke up. In her tire, she wasn't able to make sense of her surroundings until she moved her hand to smooth loose hair out of her eyes. She heard the trickle of water, and it snapped her awake.

"AAAAA!" she yelped, sitting up in shock. "I'm still in the tub!" She looked around, and noticed that something wasn't right. Well, for one, the water had gone cold… She must have slept well over an hour…

Selena turned her head to the door, and noticed what was wrong.

__

The door's open.

I know I didn't leave the door open when I got in…

"Hey!" she called out into the next room. "Is there someone out there?"

No answer. Selena climbed out of the tub, and drained the water from it.

"I'll bet it was some perverted cleaning maid or something…" she grumbled, wrapping a towel around her body, and walking out into the bedroom. Except for the door to the room being open, everything seemed to be in place. 

But still, something felt very wrong…

Selena closed the door, and walked to her change of clothes on the bed.

__

Whatever. She thought to herself, unwrapping the towel. _Nothing too unusual. Probably just some thief who tried to steal my capsules and money…_

Then she noticed something about the change of clothes on the bed…

They weren't hers…

And there was a stab hole in the shirt…

Selena's eyes widened in slow shock.

__

Oh my God, it can't be…

^

She quickly changed into her intended change of clothes, and ran out the door without even thinking about combing out her wet hair or taking her capsules with her. She ran into the motel lobby, and the sights of Sancho City appeared before her eyes again. Clothing everywhere, most of them stabbed through the shirt and slumping where it fell. A few weapons scattered on the floor, a high powered rifle among them.

__

I can't believe it…

She ran out into the street, and it was so quiet her ears began to ring. Again, clothing everywhere, fallen items and accessories, crashed cars, broken windows, kicked in doors, she even spotted an overturned baby carriage. She ran to it in hope, and looked it over. Inside were just blankets and a stabbed one-piece outfit.

__

He attacks everyone…not even the babies are spared…

That monster…

Selena stood, and bowed her head to the ground, feeling like she was going to cry. A question came to mind.

__

Why am I alive?

He attacked all these innocent people, but I am still alive…

He found me…the door to my room and the bathroom were open…he left those clothes on my bed…

Did he let me live?

Why would he do that?

Not sure how or why or even if that was the case at all, she ran back into the hotel room to get her staff.

^

Trying not to make any noise, she kept her swoop in its capsule and walked the streets of Pepper on foot. Even though finding a single person in a big city like Pepper was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, she had to make some attempt to look for him. She concluded if Cell did intend for her to be the only survivor, then he wanted her to find him.

__

But what for, I wish I knew. This guy is weird…

Her eyes darted in every direction, and her head swayed from left to right and even looked up occasionally. She couldn't see him, and she couldn't feel him either. He was a good hider. But if he was so tough and powerful as Piccolo said he was, why was he hiding?

__

This guy is very weird…

As she rounded a street corner and headed into a residential area, she found another survivor barking at her. It was a leashed dog, barking and yelping at her in fear. She smiled at it, daring not to go too close to it, and continued to walk by. As she passed the dog, she saw its name on the doghouse: Sugar.

__

Well, this world is full of weird people…

She quickly walked to the next street corner, and looked down it carefully. Sugar was still barking at her, and refusing to be quiet. Selena ignored him, and started walking down the next street.

__

"Cell," right? Where the hell are you?

Suddenly, she heard Sugar yelp in pain. She snapped her head behind her, and suddenly, the dog was silent. Selena ran back to the previous street, and saw an empty dog collar and leash tied to a dog house where Sugar used to be. He seemed to disappear…

KT-CH! KT-CH!…

Selena gasped silently. 

__

Cell's footsteps…

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH…

Selena looked around her, hearing the footsteps come from every direction.

__

That clever son of a bitch…he's making the sound bounce off the walls of the houses…I can't tell where he is…

KT-CH! KT-Ch! KT-ch! Kt-ch! kt-ch!

The footsteps seemed to fade away until she couldn't hear them anymore. He walked away from her.

Or did he? She couldn't tell.

__

I'll bet he's hunting me…

Well, I can only think of one way to draw out a hunter…

She tried to feel out his ki to be sure that he was watching her. Although she got a strange feeling that she was being watched, she couldn't feel any ki at all. Taking a chance, she turned on the ball of her foot and ran as fast as she could back the way she came.

TK-TK-TK-TK-TK-TK…

Her quick running steps echoed off the walls of the houses too. As she ran, she couldn't hear Cell's footsteps at all. He wasn't following her.

She turned on a different street, not wanting to go back to the motel, and ended up in a down town plaza full of stores. None had any people in them, but stabbed clothes were all over the place. She stopped running, and looked behind her. 

Nobody was behind her.

__

Maybe he did leave…

Then, another scenario came to mind.

__

No, he recognized the trap.

He didn't fall for it.

Yeah, this guy ain't dumb…but how is he going to find me now if I ran away from him?

Then, she heard crying. She looked down the plaza, but couldn't see anyone. It sounded like a small child.

Cautious that Cell could be setting a trap for her, she pointed the jeweled end of her staff before her, and walked towards the direction of the sound.

^

Selena continued walking with her staff aimed at anything that could be a possible danger. The crying was getting louder, telling her where to go and what she might find when she arrived. She wasn't sure if it was some kind of trap Cell was setting, but she was ready for anything that could try to surprise her. It could be a child, it could be Cell, it could be an animal, or it could be her imagination…

She turned one last corner, and cautiously looked out into the street.

What she saw broke her heart.

A little girl no older than seven was crying in the street next to a pile of clothes that possibly belonged to her parents. The girl was small for a child her age, and she had shiny black hair and tanned skin, and she was wearing pink overalls over her black, long sleeved shirt. 

Selena loved kids. Seeing commercials for adoption services made her cry, and she sometimes joined them to send donation money. Kids were her best playing field, she always knew how to talk and behave around kids. One of her goals in life was to have no more than six boys and girls of her own. Seeing them cry or in danger melted her heart and tough girl attitude.

Selena lowered her staff, and began walking to the girl.

"Hey kiddo…" she greeted softly. "…are you hurt? Are you alright?" The girl looked up at her with tear-worn eyes and a red face. She gasped at Selena, and tried to get away, but there was something wrong with her foot. Selena spied the problem immediately, the girl sprained her ankle, and it was bleeding. Selena was about to rush to the child to help her, but a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head to face a store window that displayed a large variety of cell phones. Through the darkness inside the shop, Selena spotted Cell. 

He was haunched over, creeping towards the window like a cat on the hunt. His tail was swaying in the air in anticipation. His fingers were curved like claws, and he stepped very slowly and very softly. Then, he turned his head towards Selena and their gaze locked. They stared at each other for a while, before a slow and evil smile grew on Cell's face and he licked his lips as his head turned in the child's direction.

Selena instantly got the message.

"NO!"

She and Cell took off running at the same time, both headed in the little girl's direction. Selena quickened her pace, hearing Cell's footsteps run beside her. The girl's face became horrified, and she screamed as she tried to get away. Selena reached the girl, and picked her up as she ran. At that moment, Cell crashed through the window, and slashed down on Selena's back intending to grab the girl. Selena felt Cell's claws sink into her back for a split second, but she quickly got away from Cell. She gathered the girl in her arms protectively as she ran.

"My, my…" Cell chuckled in amusement. "How fast you run, my dear." He gave chase, quickly catching up to her. Selena didn't dare look back, knowing that would slow her down. Everything seemed to play in Cell's favor easily, since he was the faster runner, and Selena had both of her hands full, and the girl was screaming and squirming in Selena's grasp. Selena didn't give up hope; she wanted the little girl to live.

Suddenly, Cell jumped into the air, and landed in front of Selena. Selena skidded on her feet to avoid plowing into Cell and came to a halt just inches from him. He didn't move as he did so. Selena stumbled backward for protective distance, and Cell still didn't move. He just stared back and forth between her and the screaming girl struggling to get out of Selena's grasp. Cell shook his head in disappointment.

"Pointless." He pitied, taking a step towards Selena. The guardian took a step backward to keep the distance equal. "Absolutely…pointless." Cell sighed melodramatically. "I didn't even want to hurt you, Selena. All I want is that child."

"Leave her alone!" Selena screamed at him. Cell just blinked once and stared at Selena again. Selena's breathing became heavier and she felt herself shake all over. Even though she couldn't sense Cell's ki, she could feel the evil atmosphere around him. It was a very powerful evil that she had never seen before.

__

Who is he?

Where did he come from?

How did he get this way?

Why is he doing this?

Cell took another step towards her, and she backed one step away. Amused by this, Cell took two steps towards her. Selena stumbled four steps away for a little more distance. With a playful smile on his face, Cell began taking even steps towards her, walking casually. Selena walked away backwards, too wrapped in fear and confusion to be fully aware of her surroundings. Her back was soon pressed against a wall, and she had no where to go. Cell then ran towards her to corner her, kicking up dust from the ground. Selena turned the girl to the wall to shield her, leaving her back open to Cell's attack.

Cell quickly stopped just centimeters away from Selena, leaning his face over her shoulder. The dust billowed over them, then slowly faded away. Selena didn't dare move, feeling Cell's chin rest on her shoulder.

"You don't even know that child." Cell reasoned softly, almost whispering. "Surrender her, she's the one I want. You don't have to die. And no one has to know about this." Selena remained silent. "Oh, come on now, dear. Don't throw away what's left of your life."

"Why are you letting me live?" Selena whispered back.

"That is for you to figure out." He insisted. "Now, give me that child. That's all I want. Give her to me, and I will leave you alone."

Selena shuddered, pressing her eyes closed and clenching her teeth. Cell's head moved so that he could look her in the face. Selena bent her head to keep his whispered words out of her ears. Her heart was beating wildly in fear, and her grip on the girl was growing stronger. The girl was clutching Selena protectively and was crying into her shirt softly. Selena had absolutely no idea what to do. Cell was so close to her, she could feel his hot breath on her neck and cheeks. She couldn't escape, and she couldn't blast him with her staff. She could probably get a good shot at him.

She attempted to attack. 

Keeping some of her weight on the wall, she kicked Cell's shin. He didn't budge or make a sound. No good. Freeing her right arm from her shield, she swung it around her and right into Cell's face. The impact was strong enough to make him stumble away for a few steps and groan, but that was all. He pushed his face downward, forcing Selena's fist to fall away. A four letter S-word ran through Selena's head a few times before she took off running again. 

Cell's tail arched, and whipped itself around Selena's leg. Selena tripped, landing on her shoulder. Cell's tail dragged her back to the monster for her punishment.

"You're not being very nice today." Cell snarled, then made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound. "I will kill the girl first, and then you will die a much more slower and more painful death beyond your greatest nightmares. How would you like that?"

"Not before I kill you first, you son of a bitch!" Selena shouted back, reaching for her staff and aiming it at Cell. "Tamashii no Ya!" a blast fired from the staff and exploded on Cell. His tail let go of her leg, and Selena quickly got up and ran away, holding the girl tightly. As the light and smoke cleared, Cell shook the soot off of his face.

"You sneaky rat!" he yelled at her. He was about to run after her, when a Namekian styled side kick plunged into his face and sent him crashing through the wall, and through two more walls as well. Cell quickly jumped to his feet, and saw his new opponent through the holes in the walls.

"Piccolo…"

^

Selena didn't dare stop running, she heard loud explosions and felt the shock waves and quakes the energy blasts caused. She could feel Cell's ki, and another familiar ki. She recognized the second fighting power immediately.

"Piccolo!" she cried. Then a third flew into the fight. "And Tien! Alright guys! Way ta rescue the damsel in distress!"

Finally, after running all the way across town with the girl in her arms, she stopped to catch her breath. The girl resumed crying, and Selena hugged her close.

"It's okay." She soothed. "It's okay. The monsters gone. You're safe now."

"I want my mommy!" the girl bawled. "I want my daddy! Mama!"

"I'm sorry, little one." Selena sighed sadly. "Your mama can't be with you." The girl cried louder and harder. Another explosion rocked in the distance. Selena turned towards it, then looked at a nearby office building. She walked inside for shelter from Cell, and walked up a few flights of stairs and into a bathroom. She closed the door behind her and set the girl down. The little girl quickly ran for the opposite corner, and huddled there in a tight ball and sobbed as loud as she could. Selena looked at her sadly, then walked to her to comfort her.

"Leave me alone!" the girl shouted at her angrily, flinging a slapping hand at Selena's face. It wasn't much of a slap, it was more like putting a hand to her cheek and quickly sliding it across her face. Selena frowned at her. 

"Okay." She shrugged. "If you insist. I saved you from that evil creature, and I don't even get a thank you."

"Leave me alone!" the girl ordered again, hiding her face behind her hands. "Go away! Maaaamaaaaaaaaa!"

"I'm right here if you need me." Selena noted, sitting on the closed toilet seat. She rested her elbows on her knees and set her chin on a two-handed fist. The girl just sobbed and cried until she was almost out of breath. Selena patiently watched for five minutes as the girl quieted down, and started to fall asleep. Selena smiled at the girl, hoping that she would be in a better mood when she woke up. 

A very loud explosion in the distance woke the girl up with a gasp, and she looked at Selena. Selena smiled at her.

"It's okay." She comforted. "They're a long ways away. I doubt they'll come here." The girl looked at her with watering, frightened eyes. She had as much of a clue what was happing as Selena did: none. "We're safe." Selena estimated. "Don't worry." The girl uncurled from her ball, and stretched her legs out and lounged against the wall.

"What about everyone else?" she asked. "Where did they go?"

Selena wasn't sure how to answer that. So, she tested how much the girl was taught.

"Do you know where your mommy and daddy are?"

"They're dead." The girl said sadly.

"Well, everyone else is dead too." Selena sadly reported. "You survived."

"My mama flung me into a house, and I hurt my leg." The girl explained. "Then, a monster came and she melted away. So did daddy."

__

How sad. The girl's mother died trying to save her…

Cell must have destroyed so many lives already…

"Want me to help you with your leg?" Selena asked. "It was bleeding."

"Okay." The girl accepted, sniffing back a tear. Selena took a whole roll of toilet paper, and wrapped it around the girl's ankle. Confident that the girl was trusting her, Selena tried to chat with her.

"My name's Selena. What's yours?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura-chan?" Selena wondered. The girl smiled weakly at that. Selena nodded as she tied off the makeshift bandage. "You won't be able to walk on that for a while. You'll be fine once we get you to a hospital." She quickly changed the subject. "So, what's your favorite ice-cream flavor?"

"Banana."

"Banana?!" Selena blinked. "There's such thing as banana ice-cream?"

"Uh-huh!" Sakura nodded with a happier look. "It's yummy!"

"Hmmm…" Selena thought. "How about chocolate? Do you like chocolate?"

"Yeah!" Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

"I love chocolate ice-cream." Selena admitted with a smile. "How about this: after we get outta here, I'll buy ya some chocolate ice-cream. How about that?"

"Yeah!" Sakura cheered, then she reached out and hugged Sakura's neck. "Thank you, Selena-san!"

"Sure." Selena agreed, hugging the girl. "It'll all be on me. Here." She picked up Sakura, and held her high enough to look the kid straight in the face. "Let's see if the coast is clear before we go." She headed for a window. "It should be. I haven't heard any noise for a long time." 

She looked out the window closely. The sun was starting to dip towards the west, coating the city in gold. Selena looked at a clock by the mirror, and saw that it was a little past five-o-clock in the afternoon. She looked out the window again, and could see the faint speck that was Piccolo land on a roof top. Landing slightly closer to Selena's hiding place was Cell. Selena winced in concern.

"There he is!" Sakura worried loudly.

"Shhhh-shhh!" Selena shushed. "Don't worry. Let's wait until they start fighting again, then we'll make a run for it." Sakura held onto Selena's neck in preparation for the get away. Selena rubbed the girl's back. "Don't worry, I said. We'll have ice cream after all this is over, alright?"

Suddenly, Cell turned his head in their direction. Sakura gasped and Selena clutched her more tightly.

"Don't worry…" Selena tried to comfort Sakura as well as herself. "He can't see us, Sakura-chan…He can't see us…" Then Cell mouthed something in their direction. Selena noticed the movement of his mouth and clearly read his lips:

__

Sakura-chan…

Oh no! Not only can he see us, but he can hear us as well!

What am I gonna do?!

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS!**

****

Selena: Hmmm…what anime characters shall we be today?

****

Piccolo: Dragonball Z.

****

Selena: **sweatdrop** You are a DBZ character.

****

Piccolo: I remember what you did to us last time you did this! I still haven't forgiven you for that!

****

Selena: You're still mad at me for making you wear a wig?

****

Piccolo: Yes!

****

Cell: I don't mind dressing up as another character. It depends on who it is, tho.

****

Selena: I can't think of an anime. Cell, can you help me out?

****

Cell: **crosses his arms and thinks** Hmmm…how about Dr. Slump?

****

Selena: But I haven't seen that!

****

Cell: You should. It's a good show.

****

Sakura: I know! How about Pokemon?! It's my favorite show!

****

Everyone else: POKEMON?! NO WAY!

****

Cell: I'm not dressing up as a Pokemon character!

****

Selena: You don't have to. You are a Pokemon.

****

Cell: **vein pop* Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

****

Selena: You transform, or "evolve" as the dub of DBZ put it, into different forms, don't ya? You also use the Pokemon technique "Mimic."

****

Cell: **multiple vein pops** I AM NOT A POKEMON!

****

Sakura: **lol** Cell's a Pokemon!

****

Cell: **faces Sakura** Don't you start, you little brat!

****

Selena: Well…oh why not? Let's dress up as Pokemon characters this chapter.

****

Piccolo, Tien, and Cell: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

****

Selena: **glares at them* Which would you rather be, boys?! Pokemon or sailor scouts?!

****

Piccolo, Tien, and Cell: …

****

Selena: Thank you. I'll go first. I think I'll be…Misty! **snaps her fingers, and is instantly dressed as Misty**

****

Tien: **mumbles to himself while crossing both fingers for luck** Please don't make me Ash, please don't make me Ash, please don't make me A…

****

Selena: **snaps her fingers and Tien is instantly wearing Ask Ketchem's clothes and cap**

****

Tien: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

****

Cell: **falls over, and laughs**

****

Sakura: **looks up at Selena** Can I be Pikachu?

****

Selena: Sure! **snaps her fingers and Sakura is magically wearing a Pikachu costume**

****

Sakura: Yay! Pika, pika, pikachu!

****

Piccolo: Cell?

****

Cell: **stands up** Yeah?

****

Piccolo: Shoot me now, Cell. Shoot. Me. Now.

****

Cell: **puts his hands behind his head** I would if I had a gun.

****

Selena: I'm not sure what to make Piccolo: MewTwo or Giovanni…

****

Tien: He'd make a good Giovanni…

****

Piccolo: Traitor.

****

Sakura: Not MewTwo. He's scary. I don't like him. 

****

Selena: I got it! **snaps her fingers and Piccolo is dressed up as Jigglypuff**

****

Piccolo: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!

****

Everyone: **laughs his or her asses off**

****

Piccolo: **faints in shock**

****

Cell: **lol** He fell asleep, and he didn't sing a note.

****

Tien: So, what's Cell going to be?

****

Cell: **sweatdrop** I dunno whether I should say "Give it your best shot" or "Oh **[CENSORED!]**" What do you think I should be, Selena? I say, put me in a Team Rocket uniform.

****

Selena: **shakes her head** Nah. You'll be yourself. You are a Pokemon after all.

****

Cell: **another sweatdrop** Do you really believe that?

****

Selena: **innocent face** Of course not, Cell. **evil grin, then holds up a Pokeball** Now shut up and get in your Pokeball!

****

Cell: **runs away** NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

****

Selena: **chases him** MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!

****

Tien: **snaps his fingers and is back in his normal clothes** I don't think I should be in any more of these dress-up bonuses…

****

Sakura: **bounces up and down** I love it!

****

Tien: Sure. **snaps his fingers and changes Piccolo back into his regular clothes** Hey, you wanna help me carry Piccolo outta here?

****

Sakura: Okay!

****

Tien: **picks up Piccolo by the arms** **calls over his shoulder** Hey Selena! Try a Clow Card!

****

Selena: **still chasing Cell** Not this chapter! Maybe next time!

****

Cell: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!

****

I can safely say that these end of episode bonuses will continue. Do any of you have ideas what the cast can dress up as? Next chapter is Final Fantasy 7 characters!

So, until next time!

To be continued!


	3. Guardian Angel

In the last chapter of Unholy Crusade… __

In the last chapter of Unholy Crusade…

She looked out the window closely. The sun was starting to dip towards the west, coating the city in gold. Selena looked at a clock by the mirror, and saw that it was a little past five-o-clock in the afternoon. She looked out the window again, and could see the faint speck that was Piccolo land on a rooftop. Landing slightly closer to Selena's hiding place was Cell. Selena winced in concern.

"There he is!" Sakura worried loudly.

"Shhhh-shhh!" Selena shushed. "Don't worry. Let's wait until they start fighting again, then we'll make a run for it." Sakura held onto Selena's neck in preparation for the get away. Selena rubbed the girl's back. "Don't worry, I said. We'll have ice cream after all this is over, alright?"

Suddenly, Cell turned his head in their direction. Sakura gasped and Selena clutched her more tightly.

"Don't worry…" Selena tried to comfort Sakura as well as herself. "He can't see us, Sakura-chan…He can't see us…" Then Cell mouthed something in their direction. Selena noticed the movement of his mouth and clearly read his lips:

__

Sakura-chan…

Oh no! Not only can he see us, but he can hear us as well!

What am I gonna do?!

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 3: Guardian Angel

"We've got to get out of here." Selena deducted. 

"Uh-huh." Sakura agreed, hugging Selena tightly.

"Let's go." Selena decided as Cell looked away from them. Selena headed for the door, but stopped herself just as she reached for the doorknob. "No, wait…"

"What?" Sakura demanded. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"No, no, wait a minute…" Selena hesitated as she thought. "He wants us to do this…He wants us to leave…to run away…" She thought it through a little more.

__

But he knows where we are. If we don't leave, he'll come for us. I guess we have no choice but to get out of here.

However, we're not gonna do what he wants us to do. Luckily for me, I still have my capsules. 

"Okay, let's go." Selena nodded, opening the door and cautiously looking around. After deciding it was safe, she headed for the stairwell, and headed up. She was headed for the roof. She heard a few explosions outside as she climbed.

"They're fighting again…" she muttered to herself. "That should give us the advantage." Sakura was too scared to agree, or to ask what the word "advantage" meant. Selena kept climbing up until she had scaled four flights of stairs and opened a door to the roof. The sounds of the explosions got louder as she walked on the flat cement roof, but she couldn't see where they were fighting. Sakura covered her ears with a scream at the loud battle sounds and almost fell out of Selena's arms. Selena quickly caught the girl.

"Careful." She warned.

"But they're being loud!" Sakura complained. 

"Shhh." Selena hissed softly. "I know. Now, let's get outta here." She freed a hand from Sakura's embrace, and took a capsule case out of her pocket. She took out the capsule that stored her swoop, and she popped it open. She quickly sat in the seat and started the engine.

__

My bet was that Cell expected us to leave on foot and run into the vulnerable street. He wouldn't expect a flight by air. Ha! If you can't fight 'em, you gotta out-smart 'em!

She pushed down the gas pedal, and flew off into the air above the street.

Unfortunately, she was doing exactly what Cell wanted.

/|\

Cell caught the shape of Selena's swoop out of the corner of his eye.

__

Fool! He laughed to himself in his head. _You're all mine now!_

The battle between Cell and Piccolo took a pause, and they stared at each other for a while. Then, Cell turned his head and watched Selena's swoop fly away. With a pleased growl to himself, he took off flying for her. 

"Oh no!" Piccolo panicked. "Lawless!" He flew after Cell, but was having a surprising amount of trouble catching up to the monster. Selena was in danger because of underestimating Cell's flight speed. Cell could fly faster than he could run! She was as good as dead once he caught her!

Selena didn't notice Cell behind her until it was too late. He flew past the swoop to get ahead of it, and the loud buzzing sound of his wings rang in her ears. She screamed in fear when Cell flew in front of her and pressed his wrists together. He prepared to attack.

"Kaaaaa…meeeeeee…" he chanted.

"NO!" Piccolo screamed.

"Oh God!" Selena panicked, steering the swoop so that it would fly underneath Cell and not plow into him.

"…haaaaaaaa…meeeeeeee…"

Selena ducked her head as the swoop piloted underneath Cell, but he thought quickly. Powering down his attack, he launched his tail towards Selena and wrapped it around her neck. She gagged, and let go of the controls to her swoop as she was suddenly hoisted out of the seat. Sakura was left alone in the swoop seat.

"Selena-san!" Sakura screamed in worry. Selena was left hanging in mid air, struggling to get breath before Cell strangled her to death.

"Did you really think you could escape me, Selena?" Cell chuckled down to her. "You are a fool." Selena couldn't say anything in her defense. She was running out of air.

"Shikimi!" Piccolo shouted, coming to fly to the girl's rescue. Cell used his tail to hoist Selena to his level, and he wrapped one arm around her and freed her neck from his noose. As Selena gasped for breath, Cell poised the tip of his tail spike at her throat. 

"Stop right there, Namek!" the android snapped. "You don't want to be the cause of this girl's death, do you?" Piccolo stopped himself just a couple feet from Cell. The both of them hovered in the air among the tall buildings. Piccolo clenched a fist and gnashed his teeth. As soon as Selena got her breath back, she began struggling to get free.

"Hey!" she yelled, struggling to free her arms. "No fair using a chick for a shield! Let me go, you mugger!" Cell used his free hand to slap her quiet.

"I'm not asking much of you, Piccolo." Cell said sternly as Selena moaned over her stinging cheek. "Just turn around, fly away, and forget you ever saw me."

"…" Piccolo refused to leave.

"Yeah, right." Selena rolled her eyes. "He's gonna let a little bastard like you get away with this…" Cell raised his hand at her, and she turned her head away and shut up.

"Let her go." Piccolo ordered. "She has nothing to do with this."

"She does now." Cell insisted. "Now leave…" The tip of his tail inched closer to Selena's neck, "…or she leaves instead." Selena stared nervously at the tail, and clenched her eyes shut in fear. Piccolo didn't know what he should do, he was all out of ideas.

__

Coward…taking a hostage to keep himself alive…

The air was still with tension. The balance depended on Piccolo's decision to stay or leave. All three peoples were quiet as the Namek contemplated his options. Selena dared to open one eye and peek at Piccolo. He seemed to be in very deep thought. She had no idea what she should do either except hold very still and hope that tail didn't accidentally stab her neck.

Piccolo spoke up suddenly.

"It doesn't matter what decision I make. You'll kill her either way. I won't let you."

Suddenly, Cell's grip on Selena tightened and she gasped in surprise and pain.

"I am loosing patience." Cell warned. "Make your decision now."

As if on some sort of signal, Piccolo hung his head, and slowly turned his back to Selena and Cell. Selena blinked in surprise, and her mouth hung parted a bit.

__

He's going to leave me here to die?!

That bastard!

Cell chuckled quietly in satisfaction.

"I knew you would see things my way." He boasted. "And now you will pay the consequences of you decision." With his free hand, he formed a power ball. "Die!" He flung it at his opponent.

"Piccolo!" Selena screamed, and the power ball exploded on contact to the Namek, forming a gigantic cloud of smoke. "NO!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Cell laughed to himself. "Idiot!"

"No! Let me go!" Selena demanded, struggling to wiggle out of Cell's grasp, leaning foreword. "Let go! Piccolo!"

"You want to plummet to your death?" Cell smirked as Selena looked down at least fifty stories to the ground. She whimpered, and turned her head to the side. She hesitated before retorting.

"Anything is better than dying by your hand!"

"You say this now." Cell reasoned as Selena kept leaning further and further away from him, but he still kept his bear hug around her. "But once you experience the fate I will bestow on you, you will wonder why you resisted. Selena, you will become a part of something far greater than you can possibly imagine."

"I can imagine a lot!" Selena barked, continuing to lean away.

"It's more than that." Cell promised. "Come, child. Be a part of the perfection." The tip of his tail poised itself at the center of her forehead, and slowly began to force her back up. 

__

No…

This can't be happening…

Help me…

Kami…

"What?!" Cell suddenly gasped, and Selena was left leaning where she was. She looked up at the clouds of smoke where Piccolo had once hovered. He was still there, hovering in the air with no problem at all. His cape and a few folds in his turban were a little tattered, but he otherwise suffered more damage. He gave Cell a very hard, unforgiving glare.

"You have to do better than that, android." Piccolo disapproved. Cell grew frightened, and began to shrink away in surprise.

"It can't be…" he muttered. "That should have killed you…"

Suddenly, Selena formulated a plan of escape using her situation. She quickly drew her head back fast and hard, headbutting Cell's face with the back of her head. Taken completely by surprise, Cell yelped in pain, and accidentally let go of Selena. His tail grazed her cheek as she tumbled down to the ground below.

"Tien!" Piccolo shouted nowhere in particular. "Catch her! I'll take care of Cell!"

__

Oh no! Cell panicked. Not wanting to risk too much energy, he dodged Piccolo's attacks as fast as he could. Some grazed him by centimeters, some missed him completely, others made painful contact. He quickly glanced down at Selena to see Tien catch her and drop to a landing onto the street below.

__

If only there was a way to lose them… Cell growled in his mind. _I'm not through with that girl yet!_

^

Selena fell right into Tien's arms as he flew a few feet above the ground. He quickly began flying away to somewhere he figured was safe, but Selena began flashing him a hard glare.

"You're going the wrong way!" she screamed at him, squirming in his arms to get away. "Let me go!"

"Wrong way?" Tien wondered. "Don't tell me you really wanna go back there. You could have died! Do you know how lucky you are?!"

"LET ME GO!" Selena shouted, freeing herself from Tien's arms. She fell five feet to the ground, and landed on her feet. She began running in the direction her swoop was headed. Sakura was the only thing on her mind.

__

The swoop probably crashed. Sakura-chan…please be alright…

"This girl is absolutely crazy!" Tien shook his head. "She's gonna get herself killed…"

****

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!

Cell flew right over Tien's head, heading in Selena's direction. As Tien blinked in shock…

"Tien! Get outta the way!" Piccolo shouted behind him. Tien flew higher into the air, and Piccolo flew through the place Tien was hovering. Piccolo was flying as fast as he could, trying to catch the elusive Cell. Tien saw that Cell had the head start, and Piccolo probably couldn't catch him. Tien could see Selena far down on the ground running as fast as she could down the street.

"SELENA! LOOK OUT!" Tien shouted a warning to her. Selena looked up and slowed down…a deadly decision.

Cell continued flying past her, ignoring her for the moment. Piccolo followed him persistently.

Tien resumed blinking in surprise. Selena had stopped in shock as well, looking in the direction she was headed.

Selena wasn't Cell's target.

Selena screamed when she realized what Cell was really after!

"Sakura!"

^

The swoop had crashed into a large bramble of tree branches in a large forest. Sakura tried to stop crying and be calm as she climbed down. She wasn't afraid of heights, but she was afraid of falling with the swoop to the ground. She started to climb down the tree trunk, grabbing branches for support. As she put her weight on one thin branch, it broke, and she tumbled to the ground with no more than a startled yelp. The ground was so close to her, she didn't have time to scream. She landed on her back in a bush, and lay there for a moment in shock. After a while, she got back up, and dusted herself off.

"Aw!" she cried, looking at a hole in her pink overalls. "I tore my pants!" As she began fretting over her clothes, she heard a faint rustling in a bush opposite of her. She gasped as reality struck her once again. She was being hunted by that monster.

She froze in fear, sniffing back frightened tears and clutching frightened fists by her throat to protect herself.

"Selena-san…" she muttered to herself.

In a flash of a second…

…the monster jumped in front of her…

…no time to scream…

…WHAK!…

…she was sent fling…

…CRACK!…

…her back hit a tree…

…the monster stood to full height over her.

Sakura felt she couldn't move. Her back hurt her so much, and she was so scared. She wanted to run away, but there was no where to run to. Petrified eyes kept watch on the tall, standing monster…

__

Selena-san…help me…

The monster growled slightly, pleased with his prize, and began walking towards Sakura.

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH!

Sakura whimpered. Was there anyway out of this nightmare?!

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH!

Finally, Sakura cried out.

"Selena-san! Help me! Help! Please!"

"She can't hear you, little one." the monster replied.

KT-CH! KT-CH!

"Cell!"

KT…

Cell stopped in his tracks, just two feet away from Sakura, and turned his head to look behind him. Selena stood a full yard away, staff held in one hand, slightly out of breath from running. Cell turned his eyes to the sky. He didn't see any sign of Piccolo or Tien. Hiding his power level made them loose his trail. He looked back at Selena. She was now in a sideways stance, feet wide apart, knees bent slightly, shoulders tense, pointing the jeweled end of her staff at him.

Cell couldn't help but smile.

"What a strange and foolish girl you are, Selena." He admired, turning himself towards her with no fear. "You honestly believe you can fight me."

"Yes." Selena answered, not moving. Cell crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"You should understand that you are completely out of your league. This is the real world, my dear. You are fighting the best of the best, who are beyond your level."

"I don't care." Selena growled. "I can't let you kill that girl."

Cell chuckled.

"You really do think you are a guardian." He chuckled, closing his eyes. "How long are you planning to keep up this act, little girl? It could get you killed one day."

Selena didn't respond.

"Very well, my dear. We'll do things your way. This is your final warning, however. You will not be able to beat me."

"I can try." Selena growled, finally catching all her breath. "Sakura, move out of the way." The little girl, motivated by Cell's intimidation, crawled on her hands and knees to a farther away tree and hid behind it. Cell kept his gaze on Selena, and listened to Sakura move behind him. He smiled.

"Shall we dance?" he mocked with a very playful grin.

^

Selena gripped her staff tightly, and lunged for Cell. She pulled back the staff for a bone-shattering cracking, but before the jeweled end could come in contact with Cell's head, the monster seemed to disappear. Selena quickly stopped herself in mid-lunge, and spun around to guard her back. Under prediction of instinct, Cell appeared opposite of her to attack her backside, but she was prepared. He flung a jab at her, but she blocked with her staff, and used the blunt end of her staff to smack him across the face. He faltered backward a few steps, and Selena charged foreword. Cell took the defense, blocking with his palms to deflect Selena's staff attacks. Selena began with attacking with such speed and strength that Cell started moving backwards for a respective distance, but Selena moved with him.

He caught her side unguarded, and used his tail to slap it. Taken by surprise, Selena faltered to the side with a yelp, and Cell took his turn to attack. He flung his left arm for a chop, but Selena ducked it and began moving backward. Cell began peppering Selena's defense with an extremely quick series of punches and chops. Selena did her best to dodge and block them all as she moved backward. A few hit her in the face and neck, and they hurt like hell. She did her best to withstand his attacks, but she finally began heeding his earlier words. 

__

It's not worth it…

You're out of your league…

This is how you will die…

Determined not to give up, she tried attacking again. She swung her staff for Cell's head again, but he caught it with one hand, and held on. Selena tried to free her staff, but Cell's grip was too tight. She couldn't budge it. Cell noticed she was completely off guard, and flung a very hard punch for her face. It cracked down on her nose and one of her eyes, and she was flung backward into a tree. She hit the tree so hard, it snapped in half and fell over. After a small pause, she stood and shook her head clear of tweeting birdies. Cell blinked a few times in astonishment, then smiled.

"Impressive." He admired. "Any other human would have died."

"I told you." Selena snorted. "I'm the perfect warrior." Cell half-smirked for a split second with a "hmph", and tossed Selena's staff aside.

"You don't even come close." He snarled, lowering himself into a fighting stance. Selena did the same, crossing her flexed hands before her chest in a more defensive stance. Cell took his turn to start the attack.

She didn't even see him coming…

^

****

WHUP!

Selena screamed as the hardest punch she had ever felt slammed into her stomach. She was in so much pain, she couldn't even move. Then, she felt an even stronger uppercut on her chin that rocketed her into the air. Cell cackled as he jumped up after her. Selena tried to recover, but her pain was too great. She heard Cell fly up above her, and she managed to look up after him. He stopped and hovered in a respectable distance in the air, then he charged downward with a flexed foot. 

She looked away.

"This is gonna hurt…" she murmured to herself.

It did.

^

"There they are!" Piccolo noticed, seeing Selena and Cell in the air. As he flew for them, he witnessed Cell downkicking her back to the ground and disappear into the canopy of trees. Then the ground shook with the force of an earthquake. That forced Piccolo to speed up in his flight.

__

Oh no…that could have killed her!

^

"I'm very impressed." Cell smiled, walking away from the small crater he created with Selena pounded in the middle. "You're still alive. This probably would have killed Piccolo." Selena was somewhat alright. A line of blood was trickling out of one corner of her mouth, and she was giving Cell a glare hard enough to shatter glass. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, and hopped out of the crater. 

"Selena-san!" Sakura called from behind another tree, the one she was hiding behind fell over with the forming of the crater. "Are you alright?" 

__

"No." Selena would have answered, but Cell was around to hear that, so she kept quiet. She was hurting everywhere really bad. She was sure she was bleeding internally, but she couldn't be sure. Nothing felt broken, but the pain was tremendous. She couldn't believe how strong Cell was. She was almost convinced Cell wasn't from Earth. She took the small pause in the fight to think over what she could be up against.

__

I remember a small alien invasion force about five years ago…but there was two of them…could he be something like that? I dunno know…

He fights like a demon from hell…

Look at him, he's just standing there, daring me to attack…

Selena resumed taking a fighting position. Cell didn't move.

The land was quiet.

Selena's eyes widened for a split second, then she lunged for Cell, fling across the crater. She flung some open hand punches for his face and chest, but Cell moved away from each of them effortlessly. Selena went for a kick, but Cell bent over backward for the dodge, missing her foot by inches. In the moment of two seconds, Cell's hands landed on the ground under him, and he lifted his feet up to Selena, kicking her into the air. She yelped as she was once again flung into the air as Cell flipped over to righten himself to his feet, then promptly launched himself into the air. 

Selena quickly regained herself, and watched Cell fly past her to get above her. She sensed he was going to kick her back down to the ground, so she spun her body around to face him. He hovered above her, and poised his foot to kick her again. Not to be attacked the same way twice, Selena held her hands out before her. Cell charged for her, foot first, and Selena grabbed it in her hands. The force of Cell's charge did force her to the ground, but she used the force of the charge to fling Cell in front of her and down to the ground. Cell tumbled to the ground, but caught himself and hovered just before he could hit the dirt. Feeling slightly dizzy, he shook his head to clear it.

__

Most impressive…he thought to himself. He opened his eyes just in time to see Selena's foot inches from his face before it contacted. His head bumped the ground, then Selena stomped on his face with her other foot and flipped foreword to escape. Cell hit the ground, but not very hard. He rolled over on his hands and feet and stood up. A shoeprint shaped dirt smudged blemished his face, so he wiped it off with one hand. He peeked behind two fingers at Selena. She was making a mad dash for her staff, and had grabbed it. Cell smiled behind his hand as he cleaned off the rest of the dirt. 

"I underestimated you, Selena." He admitted as she pointed her staff at him. "You're pretty good, and…my, my, you are fast."

"…" Selena decided not to retort, so Cell continued.

"However skilled and fast you are, you aren't much in the strength category, are you?"

"I will admit you're stronger," Selena said, "but that doesn't mean I don't have advantages of my own."

"Name one." Cell dared.

"I'm smarter than you."

Cell smiled with interest.

"Oh really? So…this isn't a battle of brons, it's a battle of brains? Do you have any idea how interesting you are, Selena dear?"

"Stop calling me 'dear.'" Selena ordered firmly. The jewel on her staff began glowing. Cell smiled, knowing she was going to attack. He held one hand out to her, and a small powerball appeared in his hand. Energy buzzed between both opponents, one waiting for the other to fire first. As long as two minutes passed, Selena started breathing heavily in fear. The blood line at the corner of her mouth had already dried and started cracking, and she was sore all over. Cell finally had feeling in his face, and was otherwise unharmed. They stared into each other's eyes intently, waiting for the other to attack.

The land was quiet.

Selena's ki suddenly rose.

"Tamashii no Ya!" she chanted, and an energy wave erupted from the jewel on her staff and flew towards Cell. Cell raised his other hand, and slapped the attack into the air. It arched far away, and exploded in a different part of the forest. Selena's eyes went wide in panic. Before she could scream…

"Kamehameha!"

Cell quickly pressed his wrists together and fired a bigger energy blast. Selena had no time to react…

^

Instead of feeling the blow of an energy blast, Selena felt a rising sensation. She opened her eyes to see Piccolo holding her in his arms and rising high into the air. Down below, she could hear Cell roar in anger.

"Piccolo…" Selena murmured.

"Listen to me this time." Piccolo snapped at her as he flew. "Get out of here. Run as far away as you can. You can't fight this monster." Selena stared at him with watery eyes. She lowered her head in defeat. She did initially try to escape but she fought to save Sakura.

"Okay." Selena grumbled. Piccolo suddenly dove for the canopy, and Selena looked over his shoulder. Cell was flying right behind them. Piccolo crashed into the soft leaves of the canopy, and dropped Selena on a thick branch before landing on the forest floor. Selena crawled as close to the trunk of the tree as she could as Cell dove past the branches and leaves to get to Piccolo. As soon as the monster spotted Piccolo, he forgot about Selena and attacked the Namek instead. Piccolo took the fight deeper into the woods and Cell naïvely followed. Selena saw her chance, and jumped from the tree and ran to where she had left Sakura.

"Sakura?!" She called as she approached the crater. "Sakura! Sakura-chan!"

"Selena-san!" Sakura called from a different tree. Selena ran to it, and saw the girl standing and not harmed at all. Selena was so happy to see the girl alright, she bent down and hugged her.

"Thank God…" she whispered. Then she said to the girl out loud. "C'mon, let's get outta here. We can get some of that ice cream I promised you."

"Yeah!" Sakura cheered happily. Selena picked the girl up in her arms, and headed for her crashed swoop.

"Oh no…" Selena frowned. "I'll never get it outta that tree without destroying it…looks like I gotta get another one." Freeing one hand, she reached into her pocket, and took out a capsule case. Sakura helped her take the desired capsule out, clicked the top, and threw it to a respectable distance. The capsule exploded into a large cloud of smoke, and a new swoop appeared. Selena smiled. "Thanks Sakura. The Reckless 3 can take us somewhere safer." She hopped on, securing Sakura and herself in one seatbelt and then took off at high speed. Selena looked over her shoulder once. No one was behind her, but seeing that crater gave her a painful memory. She frowned.

__

That monster…killing all those innocent people…

And he's so strong…no normal human would stand a chance against him…

Cell…

What game are you playing with us, Cell?

…

What game are you playing with…me?

^

They came to a bustling town that Selena didn't catch the name of, and she immediately drove to the nearest ice cream parlor. Selena treated herself and Sakura to chocolate ice cream, and they both talked and got to know each other a little better. Sakura was a native to Japan while Selena was a nomad from Ireland. They both shared jokes and mentioned their brief brushes with love. Sakura had a crush on one boy until he pushed her in the mud and she beat him up. Selena was amazed how much of a tomboy young Sakura was. She was only six years old, and already a legend of the playground.

After the ice cream, Selena decided to see a doctor before continuing her nomading days. She drove to a hospital, and took Sakura in with her to the doctor's room. After an x-ray and psychical examination, the doctor gave the young woman the good news.

"You're a little shaken, but not stirred." The doctor chuckled. "You're not seriously injured, no bones were broken, and…well…how did you say this happened again?"

"I got in a fight." Selena confessed. "I thought he was going to kill me."

"I'll say." The doctor nodded. "You're lucky to have no serious injuries. You'll have that black eye for a few days, I'm afraid." Selena frowned. Her left eye was really hurting her, and she didn't have any make-up to hide it with. It was a little embarrassing… "I can't believe you aren't dead, the way you've been beaten, my dear. A few parts of your body are bruised or scratched and will heal in a few days. Take some aspirin to relax those sore mussels…my God, I am just so amazed."

"Thank you, doctor." Selena bowed politely. "C'mon Sakura, let's go." As Selena began heading out the door, the doctor said to her back:

"You have a very strong guardian angel watching over you, my friend." Selena stopped to nod.

"I'd say so." She agreed, opening the door and walking out. Sakura held her hand as they walked out of the hospital, and to Selena's parked swoop.

"So, what now?" Sakura asked as she climbed on Selena's lap. Selena thought as she strapped in the seatbelt.

"I dunno…" She admitted as the image of Cell popped in her mind for a split second. "…but I think this whole thing is far from over."

****

To be continued…

**END OF EPISODE BONUS!!**

****

Selena: Today's bonus theme is Final Fantasy VII characters!

****

Tien: Final Fantasy what? I can't read Roman numerals…

****

Selena: For the numerally challenged out there, that's Final Fantasy 7.

****

Tien: Oh!

****

Cell: Alright, the best video game ever made!

****

Piccolo: Uh, do we have to dress up as the characters again?

****

Selena: Always.

****

Sakura: I love dressing up!

****

Selena: Okay…FF7…first things first. Who's Sephiroth?

****

Everyone: ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME!

****

Selena: …

****

Piccolo: I'm the most like Sephiroth, so I deserve to be him!

****

Cell: **shoves Piccolo aside** You don't have the hair to be him! I'm the villain, so I should be Sephiroth!

****

Tien: Hey, I'm the one with the build to be Sephiroth, so it should be me!

****

Sakura: **a little confuzzled** Who's Sephiroth?

****

Selena: **sigh** If we can't agree, then I'll have to be Sephiroth.

****

Everyone: **anime take where they become giants** NO YOU'RE NOT!

****

Selena: **falls over, then gets back up** Okay, okay, I guess we can bend the rules this chapter. How about this: we can all be Sephiroth, alright?

****

Everyone: **happy** Okay!

****

Selena: Alright! **snaps her fingers, and everyone is dressed as Sephiroth**

****

Cell: Alright! This is great!

****

Piccolo: Now here's a costume I don't mind putting on!

****

Tien: Absolute coolness!

****

Selena: Sakura, you look adorable!

****

Sakura: **she looks like a chibi Sephiroth! Aww!** ^.^

****

Selena: Okay everyone, since this bonus is Final Fantasy 7 character**_s_**! We'll be everyone else together.

****

Piccolo: Huh? Hey, wait a minute…

****

Selena: Alright, let's all be Cloud! **snaps her fingers and everyone is dressed as Cloud Strife**

****

Piccolo: **with a spiky blond wig on his head** Selena, you didn't say anything about this!

****

Tien: AAAAAA! The sword on my back is too heavy! **falls over backwards**

****

Cell: No fair, Selena! Put us back in those Sephiroth costumes!

****

Sakura: **looks like a chibi Cloud! Kawaii!!** But I love dressing up like this!

****

Selena: **swings the sword around effortlessly** Hey hey, lookit me! I'm Cloud Strife, first class SOLDIER! … Hey, why is SOLDIER always in caps? That's bugged me for a long time.

****

Cell: It's the name of the organization.

****

Selena: But still, it's in all caps…it's distracting…

****

Piccolo: Lawless! I demand you change our costumes back!

****

Selena: **points sword at Piccolo** If you have any more complaints, I'll shove this sword up your ass!

****

Piccolo: **speechless** …

****

Cell: **lol**

****

Sakura: Selena-san, that was mean.

****

Selena: No, this is mean. Alright everyone, let's all be Aeris!

****

Piccolo, Tien, and Cell: WHAT?!

****

Selena: **snaps her fingers, and everyone is dressed in Aeris's pretty pink dress**

****

Piccolo, Tien, and Cell: **screams** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

****

Selena and Sakura: **lol**

****

(The boys run away to take off their pretty pink clothes, and Selena changes herself and Sakura into their normal clothes.)

Sakura: That was fun!

****

Selena: Yeah, but it was short. I wanted to dress up as everybody. **lol** It would have been funny to see the boys dressed up as Tifa!

****

Sakura: Selena-san, what is Final Fantasy 7?

****

Selena: **walks away, holding Sakura's hand** Well, it's a story that happens in a world that is ruled by a single company called Shin-Ra Inc. The story begins in the city of Midgar, when a train was pulling into the Sector 1 station…

****

Yes, it is amazing to see how an epic story like FF7 began. And even though Unholy Crusade will never be as great as this famous game, it will still be unbelievable to look back at the very beginning and see how it all began. Also, FYI, I write UC to FF7 music, so that's what made me think of today's bonus.

Well, that ends Chapter 3, but Chapter 4 is still on the way, so stay tuned!


	4. In An Instant

Unholy Crusade

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 4: In an Instant

__

She was running…

What for, she wasn't sure…

She was chasing someone…

That someone opened a door, walked through, and closed it behind them…

She opened the door and ran inside…

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!"

She wasn't in a room…

She was in a forest…

The door slammed behind her…

She looked behind her, and the door had vanished into more forest…

It began to rain, and thunder rumbled in the distance…

She felt a drop on her head, and walked foreword…

A drop hit her hand…

She instinctively looked at it…

The drop wasn't a raindrop…

It was blood…

She looked into the sky…

The raindrops were red…

It was raining blood…

She cried in disgust, and ran foreword to find shelter…

She was becoming soaked in blood from the sky…

She didn't like it…

She couldn't accept it…

She wanted to get out…

She screamed…

Soon, she came to a clearing, and the raining blood ceased…

The clouds still lingered, keeping the forest in darkness…

Selena was standing behind the forest, and facing a lake…

She had seen this lake before…

On the other side of the lake was a stone archway that led into further darkness…

On the ground, by the arch, was a small body lying in a pool of fresh blood…

It was the body of a child…

The clothes were familiar…

"Sakura!" Selena cried out with horror. "Sakura! I'm coming!"…

Selena began to run…

Everything seemed so slow…

Her foot touched the water like it was solid ground…

She began to run across the water, slightly disturbing the stillness of the lake with slow ripples…

She looked down at her feet and stopped running…

The water rippled out from her feet, warping her reflection in the lake…

She looked at the reflection…

Something was odd about it…

As the ripples began to calm, the reflection became clear…

The reflection was not Selena…

It was Cell…

Selena's heart filled with fear…

Her face paled…

Her eyes widened…

Her breath was stolen away…

The reflection did not move…

"No!" she cried, putting her hands to the side of her head…

The reflection put his hands to the side of his head…

"No! This isn't right!" she screamed. "Go away!"…

She kicked the surface of the lake with all her might…

The water suddenly burst into strange, sickly yellow flames…

Selena fell into the flames, feeling no pain…

From the flickering fires, human hands, arms, and the faces of skulls appeared…

The skulls were screaming in horror and pain…

The hands grabbed for Selena…

The arms tried to pin her in one place…

Selena tried to struggle out of them, trying to reach the other side of the lake…

The hands scratched her…

The arms pummeled her with lariats…

The skulls tried to bite her…

She swam through the fire as though it was water…

It all felt like strong gravity trying to drag her down into the yellow flames…

Almost to the other side…

"Sakura!" Selena yelled, reaching out her hand…

The tiny hand seemed so far away, yet was so very close…

Selena jumped foreword to grab the hand…

"Sakura!"…

Many hands grabbed her and hoisted her in the air…

Hands from the fire…

Selena was plunged into the flames…

She was dragged down, down, down…

She fell into clawing, biting, yellow emptiness…

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"…

All was black…

^

Her eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright in the bed.

It was just a nightmare…

She was no longer in a dark wood with bloody rain; she was in a hotel room bed and it was dark all around. Outside a window, she could see a starry sky, and she could hear the sounds of chirping crickets outside. Everything was quiet, asleep, and at peace.

She looked on the other side of the twin bed, and she saw Sakura tucked under the covers with her eyes closed. Remembering the nightmare, Selena panicked, and shook Sakura.

"Sakura! Sakura-chan! Wake up! Please wake up!" Sakura stirred slightly.

"What?" she sleepily wondered. "What's going on?" Selena paused, then began crying in relief. 

"Oh thank God." She sobbed, hugging Sakura. Sakura was in such a sleepy daze that she didn't know what was going on.

"Mommy, what's wrong? You sound sad…"

"I'm sorry, little one." Selena sniffled, patting the girl's back. "Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Okay." Sakura smiled, closed her eyes, and lay back down. "G'night, mommy." Selena blinked once, then smiled sadly as Sakura was instantly asleep. Selena stroked through the girl's short, black hair.

"No…I'm not your mommy…"

She laid back into her pillow, and stared up at the ceiling until her eyes were too heavy to keep open.

She slept with no dreams.

^

Dawn broke through the hotel room window, and Selena slowly awoke. She sat up and stretched her arms and back sleepily. Since that nightmare, she slept rather well. However, she was a little disturbed by it. It all seemed so real, and so strange…

Shrugging that away for now, she climbed out of the bed carefully so that she wouldn't wake up Sakura, and headed for her capsule case on the nearby dresser.

Time to get dressed. 

She opened her suitcase capsule that contained her clothes. As soon as she snapped the clasps open, the case flung open. It was overpacked. Selena saw why. She kept the suitcase tidy by putting clean clothes on one side of the case, and dirty clothes on the other side. The dirty clothes side of the suitcase was full. There were no clean clothes left.

Selena made a flat, "oh-I-see," face at that discovery.

"Looks like I gotta go to the laundromat…" she sighed, taking the clothes she wore yesterday. She put those on as she contemplated what should happen now. She glanced at the still sleeping Sakura. The little girl hadn't woken up since Selena shook her awake. She was curled under the covers tightly, breathing softly in her sleep. Selena frowned sadly.

__

What's going to happen to this wonderful, little girl?

I don't know if I could take her with me, she could get hurt…

She could remember what happened in Pepper City clearly. Cell was clearly after Sakura, not Selena herself. 

__

But why? Why not kill me too? I was right there, getting in his way. Why didn't he kill me?

Is he letting me live?

I don't get it.

Deciding to shrug the monster off her mind, she straightened her pants and shirt, put on her shoes, and took her suitcase with her out the door.

__

Sakura might still be asleep while I'm gone. Besides, the laundromat is right downstairs, I can come up and check on her once in a while.

^

One lone man flew through the sky over Parsley City, headed for the southern island area several thousand miles away. At the speed he was flying, it would take him half an hour to get there.

__

I just wanna get to the Kame House as fast as I can. The last thing I wanna do is run into Cell by accident, or have him find me. I'll leave that creep to Piccolo and Tien. They know what they're doing.

He looked up at the sunny, blue sky. 

__

Goku…I hope you're getting better back there. We need you more than ever, bro.

Not watching where he was going, he flew over a huge factory and right into a huge column of black smog.

"GAAK! OH MAN!" he coughed as he flew through the toxic smoke. He came out of the smog black as a shadow. "Damn…" he muttered, trying to wipe it off his face. "I better stop to take a bath…"

^

Selena tossed her clothes into a washing machine, dropped a couple of coins into the coin slots, and pushed the cycle buttons a few times. The machine churned to life, spinning the dirty clothes through soapy water. She looked at her watch. Fifteen minutes had passed since she got here and chatted with the man behind the maintenance counter. She decided to go check on Sakura. She turned to the man.

"Hey, can you watch my laundry for a sec? I'll be right back."

"Sure thing." The man agreed. Selena headed out of the laundry mat, up the elevator, to the fourth floor where her room was. She opened the door to her room and walked inside. 

Sakura wasn't on the bed, and the sheets were a mess.

Nothing else looked out of place…

"Sakura-chan?" Selena called into the room, getting a bad feeling. She looked around the room, but didn't see the girl anywhere. Then she heard sobbing in the bathroom. She looked and she saw Sakura huddled in the farthermost corner, crying in fear. Selena walked to her. "Sakura-chan? Are you alright?"

"Selena-san?" Sakura raised her head timidly. Seeing the face of her protector, Sakura burst out bawling. "Selena-san! I was so scared!"

"What happened?" Selena asked, gathering the girl in her arms. Sakura cried on Selena's shoulder.

"I woke up, but you weren't there! I looked everywhere for you! You weren't there! I thought the monster came back! I hid! I was so scared!"

__

Not a very good hiding place… Selena noted to herself.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Selena apologized. "I should have told you where I was. I was downstairs, washing my clothes. The monster didn't come."

__

At least, I don't think he did… Selena checked out the window, and saw the bustling, crowded streets of the city. _No, he didn't come._

"It was scary!" Sakura cried. Selena smiled, and used her shirt to dry Sakura's tears.

"It's alright now. Nothing happened. But I thought you would still be asleep when I got back." She smiled sweetly at the little girl. "Let's make this a lesson for the two of us. Let's tell each other where we're going when we split up like that again. Okay?"

"Okay." Sakura nodded, not quite understanding what Selena meant.

"Now, let's get you dressed. We'll go downstairs together."

^

As Sakura and Selena waited for Selena's clothes to come out of the drier, a man walked in that caught Selena's attention. He was a very small man, possibly as tall as Sakura, with a bald head, no nose, and very dirty skin. He was wearing a tank top, shorts, and Chinese silk shoes. He was holding clothes as dirty as his skin under one arm.

"Can I use one of your machines please?" he asked the maintenance man behind the counter.

"Sure." The man agreed. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." The short man nodded, then walked to a washing machine, reaching into a shorts pocket for spare change. Selena tried not to stare, it was a rather unusual sight. However, she took note of the six dots on the man's head. He was a monk from the Orin Temple in Tibet. She had run into one or two Orin monks before, and she was rather good friends with them. She decided to strike up a conversation with him. She got up from her chair.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Oh hi." The monk greeted, looking up at her then turning away. Then he looked at her again, up and down, then started blushing. Selena blinked at his behavior a couple times.

"What?"

The man turned his head away.

"Sorry. No girl ever talked to me on her own before…" he explained. "I'm a loser. I dunno if you wanna talk to me anyway." He started chuckling nervously, throwing his dirty clothes into the washing machine. He looked at the controls for it, and chuckled more nervously. "See…I don't even know how this thing works. I'm a loser…"

"Relax." Selena smiled, pushing the appropriate buttons for him. "It took me a while to figure this out too. This is a pretty advanced model." The machine soon kicked into the water cycle, and the man blinked at the machine in surprise, then he looked back to Selena.

"Wow." He marveled. Selena laughed.

"It's nothing really. But it did take me a long time to figure it out for myself." She turned to the man behind the counter. "Ain't that right?"

The man laughed in agreement.

The short man blushed, and walked towards the sink in the very back of the room. He began washing the dirt off his face and arms. Selena followed him and stood next to him.

"So, what's your name?" she asked. "I'm Selena."

"Krillin." The man introduced, scrubbing his face with his wet hands.

"So Krillin, how'd your clothes get so dirty?"

"I don't think you wanna know."

"Oh. Okay."

^

Selena invited Krillin to breakfast, the meal was on her since she was going to get money from the hotel ATM machine. Krillin decided to accept. After picking up fifty more zeni for her wallet, Selena took Sakura and Krillin to an outdoor café for something to eat. Selena ordered Sakura a short stack of pancakes while Selena requested a small sushi roll. Krillin asked politely for a rice bowl. As they feasted, they chatted for a little bit. All three tried to stay away from the Cell subject.

"A martial artist, eh?" Krillin asked Selena.

"Yeah." Selena admitted. "I've been training since I was eight. I'm not too shabby."

"She fights real good!" Sakura proudly announced. Selena beamed.

"But I don't exactly consider myself the best. I know there's people out there stronger than me, but I still have plenty of advantages."

"Like what?" Krillin wondered.

"Like I'm very well educated and I have a pretty high IQ. In my experience, the smartest comes out on top, rather than the strongest."

"That's pretty interesting. Where'd you come up with that?"

"Actually, Kami told me that."

"Kami?" Krillin blinked. "You know him?"

"You know him too?"

"I was a student of his once."

"Hey, me too! How cool!"

"Oh, is that how you got so strong?" Krillin chuckled. "He taught you to be a smart one too?"

"Absolutely. I trained with him for about two years. He trained my mind more than my mussels, and I guess that's why I'm so smart. I'm a tech wizard now, but I'm hoping to become a doctor one day. I'm pretty good with medicine."

"Cool." Krillin admired. "So, what are you now?"

"A nomad, mostly." Selena confessed. "I travel. I see the world. I meet new people. Sometimes I'll find myself on some crazy adventure. Rarely do I take a job, cause that means I have to settle down in one place for a while."

"I know the life." Krillin nodded. "I had to live that myself. I know a couple of guys who live like that too."

"Wow, we've got so much in common…" Selena noted. "This is just too cool."

"It's a little weird…" Krillin confessed. Selena finished another bite of sushi before speaking again.

"It feels like…I dunno…we were meant to run into each other, or something." She smiled at him. "Hey, uh, do you have anywhere special to go right now?"

"Not really." Krillin shook his head.

"Why don't you join me?" Selena invited. "I don't mind having company with me. And I could use some protection."

"Protection? From what?"

"Well…lately, Sakura and I were attacked by a mon…"

__

…ping…

A blip of energy silenced Selena. She knew where it came from…

__

Cell…

She stood up and looked around. She didn't see any sign of him, everything seemed normal. A bad feeling suddenly welled in her heart, and it began to beat very quickly.

"He's here…" she whispered.

"Who?" Krillin asked. Then, he felt the energy too. He stood up. "It can't be…but where is he?"

"Huh?" Sakura wondered, looking up at Krillin and Selena. "What's going on?"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Krillin stopped, looking up at Selena. "Can you sense…what I think I sense…?"

"Cell…" Selena whispered, walking away from the table. Krillin's eyes went wide.

"You can sense him…" he gasped. "But how…he keeps his power level so low…"

"We've got to get outta here…" Selena deducted. She quickly flung a few zeni on the table for the bill and tip. "Sakura, let's go. We need to go back to the hotel room and get our stuff."

"But I'm not done eating!" Sakura complained.

"Sorry, but we gotta go now." Selena insisted. "C'mon, hurry."

^

After packing up the capsules, and strapping her ki staff on her back, Selena decided to keep Sakura in a safe place. She left Sakura with the man in the laundromat to keep her safe. Krillin joined her out into the streets. They looked around, trying to spot the monster. 

"I'm pretty sure he just wouldn't walk around in public." Selena theorized. "He'd hide in back allies or somewhere people don't go…"

"Yeah, you're right." Krillin nodded. "From what I've been told, Cell's a smart one. But how do you know so much about him?"

"I ran into him a couple times." Selena explained. "Y'know Sakura?"

"The little kid?"

"I saved her from Cell in the last town we were in. That's how we met."

"And you're still alive?!" Krillin shivered.

"It creeps me out too." Selena admitted, spying a dark ally to her left. There was nothing there. "I don't know if I'm just lucky or what, but so far, I've survived every attack." She decided not to tell him Cell might be letting her live. She wasn't sure of that herself.

"So, how can you sense him? I mean, no matter how much experience you have, Cell is way too…"

"I felt his aura…" Selena explained. "It's pure evil. You never forget the feeling of an evil aura." Krillin blinked a few times.

__

Who is this kid?

^

"There." Selena pointed. She was pointing at an abandoned building, boarded up with wooden planks. Krillin looked.

"He's in there?"

"I can just barely feel him, but he's in there." She nodded. She stared down at the ground below her feet. "My first instinct is to run away…but…"

"But what?" Krillin asked in worry. "Running away sounds like a pretty good idea."

"But…I'm a guardian. It is my duty to protect these people from monsters like Cell. I dunno about you, Krillin, but I'm going in." She headed for the door.

"Hey wait!" Krillin exclaimed in surprise. "A guardian? You can't be! Guardians are Nameks."

"I'm not a guardian of the planet, but I am a guardian of the people." She reached for the doorknob.

"Hold up!" Krillin stopped, grabbing her wrist. "Just because Kami's gone doesn't mean you can take his position. Don't be an idi…"

"What?" Selena gasped. "What do you mean 'Kami's gone?'"

"You don't know? He fused with Piccolo to become one being with him."

Selena's eyes widened.

"You…you're kidding…"

"I wish I was." Krillin shook his head. "Kami and Piccolo were once one person, but they split into two hundreds of years ago. Now, they became one whole Namek again. Kami's gone. It's just Piccolo now."

"Then…" Selena wondered in horror. "Kami's…dead?"

"I wouldn't say it's like that." Krillin shook his head. "It's like…like…Kami got younger. I guess that's how it's like…"

Selena felt her heart break despite Krillin's words. The kind, old man she came to love as her own father was gone forever. She would never see him again, nor hear his voice, nor share her deepest feeling with him like she once had. It had been years since she'd seen him, and now he was gone. He was dead to her now.

In depressed anger, Selena kicked open the door, and ran inside the abandoned building.

"Whoa!" Krillin cried in surprise. "Hey, Selena! Come back!"

"Shhhhhh!" Selena hissed at him through one finger. "Be quiet, or he'll hear you."

__

Kami fused with Piccolo to gain more power to beat Cell, didn't he?

No, Kami! We need you as you are!

You didn't have to leave us, Kami…

I'll be sure to kill Cell for you.

Count on it!

^

Inside, the building was dark and dusty. The furniture was covered in white cloth, and dust kicked up from the floor with each step Selena took. She tried to stifle her coughs so that she could be quiet. Krillin was right behind her, covering his mouth, and keeping a watchful eye out for anything big and green with black spots. Selena kept her gaze straight ahead, following the faint ki she believed was Cell. 

The ki then led her to a staircase that rose to the second floor. She took very careful steps, trying not to make any noise on the way up. Unfortunately, Krillin was killing the silence all too easily.

CREAK! CREAK! CREAK!

"Krillin!" Selena hissed. "Shhhh! He'll hear you!"

"Sorry…" Krillin moaned. "I can't help it if the stairs are squeaky!"

"Put your weight on the step slowly." Selena suggested. She continued up the stairs slowly and carefully. Try as Krillin may, he was still making too much noise for Selena's ears. They finally made it to the top of the stairs. The second floor looked no different from the first. All the furniture were covered in white sheets, and the ground was dustier than the first floor. One step caused a huge cloud of dust to billow in Selena's face, and cause her to sneeze. 

"I can't feel him anymore…" Selena whispered to herself. Then, she sneezed again. "That does it. I'm opening a window…" She walked around the room towards what resembled a window while Krillin looked for any suspicious shapes that looked like Cell in the area. He didn't find any. Selena found the edge of the window, and pushed it up. It took all her strength, because the hinges were rusted shut. When she opened the window, fresh air poured into the room and unsettled some of the dust on the walls. Selena smiled in satisfaction of clean air.

"Alright, that's better…" she decided, straightening her back and taking a big breath of air. "Let's keep looking…" 

"Let's just get outta here." Krillin suggested. "If he was here, he would have attacked us by now." 

"I dunno about tha…" Selena was cut off by something. She turned to the window. "Krillin? Hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked as Selena rushed back to the open window. "I don't hear anything…"

"That's just it!" Selena cried. "The town is quiet!" She looked closer at the streets below, and saw what she feared she would see. "No way! We were in here for two minutes!"

"Lemme see!" Krillin demanded. He peeked from Selena's side. The streets were empty except for the mass of scattered clothes. There was not a sound in the city. Krillin backed away from the window in shock. "Oh man…freaky…"

"No…" Selena muttered, slamming the window pane with her hands, then running for the stairs. Before she could even set her foot on one step, the floor gave in and fell beneath Selena's feet. Selena tumbled to the first floor, and curled up to shield herself from falling boards of wood. She shook access dust off with a few coughs and got up to run out the door.

"Hey, wait!" Krillin called, jumping down the stairs and hovering to the ground. "Where are you going?"

"Sakura!" Selena called in worry, running out the door and into the quiet street.

^

The whole city seemed to have vanished in an instant. She was sure she was in that building for at least two minutes, and the whole city was completely wiped out. She didn't think Cell was so fast and so deadly.

__

Did he do this all by himself? Nothing is so fast…

This creature cannot be allowed to live…

I made up my mind.

I will not rest until I have hunted down and killed the creature known as Cell! 

She continued running down the street, headed back to the hotel, with Krillin right behind her. Selena kept confident that Cell didn't find Sakura, but if he did…

__

Either way…

He's a dead man!

****

To be continued…

**End of Chapter Bonus!**

****

Masquerade: We'll be holding off on the character dress-ups for a while. Meanwhile, the cast of Unholy Crusade would like to bring you a special treat! OUTTAKES!

****

Unholy Crusade Outtakes!

__

Chapter 2: Sakura-chan

(Selena looks around the residential block, hearing Cell's footsteps echoing off the walls.)

Footsteps: KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH!

****

Selena thinks: _Clever…he's making his footsteps echo across the street. I don't know where he is…_

****

(Suddenly, a quiet voice whispers…)

Voice: _Kill, kill, kill, kill…now, now, now, now…_

****

Selena: Huh? **blink blink** What the hell? **looks around** Friday the 13th? **scratches her head** I coulda sworn that's what I heard…

****

***

Selena thinks:_ I don't know where he is…_

****

Voice: _Kill, kill, kill, kill…now, now, now, now…_

****

Selena: **annoyed face** Cut it out, Cell! That's not funny!

****

Cell: **enters the set wearing a hockey mask and wheilding a chainsaw** Muahahahahaha!

****

Selena: …

****

(Cell and Selena stare at each other for a long time…)

Selena: **aims her staff at Cell and fires a huge ki blast**

****

Cell: **knocked off his feet** AAAAAAAA! Oof! **gets up and leaves** Okay, okay…

****

Selena: **blink blink** What the heck just happened?

****

***

(Cell puts his head on Selena's shoulder as she shields Sakura.)

Cell: **purrs** You don't even know her. Why waste your life over her?

****

Selena: **wrinkles her nose** Boy, you have bad breath!

****

(Cell stumbles back a few steps laughing. Sakura starts laughing like crazy. Cell starts to walk away with an embarrassed hand over his face.)

Selena: Yeah, go brush your teeth and we'll try that again.

****

***

(Attempting that scene again…)

Cell: You don't even know her. Why waste your life over her? No one will know…uh…oh no…

****

Selena: Forgot your lines?

****

Cell: **purrs** Hello Clarice… **hissing noise**

****

Selena: **starts laughing** That's not your line, moron.

****

***

__

Chapter 3: Guardian Angel

(Cell takes Selena hostage in mid air. Piccolo growls at the sight.)

Cell: Namek, just turn around and walk away. It's that simple.

****

Selena: **scared**

****

Piccolo: **thinks carefully**

****

Cell: …

****

Piccolo: **hold out his hand** Gimme fifty bucks.

****

Selena: !!!

****

Cell: **a little cross** I'd have to be a complete idiot to give you money!

****

Piccolo: Cool. Gimme fifty bucks.

****

Cell: …

****

Selena: **lol**

****

***

Cell: Come to me now, Selena. Be part of the perfection.

****

(Cell slowly pushes Selena up by the forehead with the tip of his tail)

Selena: Oh man, this is gonna leave a mark…

****

Cell: Huh? Hey, you're not suppost to talk yet!

****

Selena: I hope it won't be permanent…

****

Cell: Shut up!

****

Selena: Uh, is it suppost to hurt?

****

Cell: Cut! Selena, what is wrong with you?!

****

Selena: **glares at him** That does hurt, y'know!

****

Cell: What? You want me to put a pillow on it?

****

Selena: How about a cork?

****

Cell: A cork?!

****

Selena: I'll give ya fifty bucks…

****

More to come? Perhaps…


	5. The Hunt Begins

Unholy Crusade 

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 5: The Hunt Begins

__

In the last chapter of Unholy Crusade…

The whole city seemed to have vanished in an instant. She was sure she was in that building for at least two minutes, and the whole city was completely wiped out. She didn't think Cell was so fast and so deadly.

__

Did he do this all by himself? Nothing is so fast…

This creature cannot be allowed to live…

I made up my mind.

I will not rest until I have hunted down and killed the creature known as Cell! 

She continued running down the street, headed back to the hotel, with Krillin right behind her. Selena kept confident that Cell didn't find Sakura, but if he did…

__

Either way…

He's a dead man! 

^

Selena headed straight to the hotel lobby, and down the stairs to the laundromat. The lights were off, so she quickly fumbled for the switch and flicked on the lights. She looked around. The room was quiet, and there appeared to be nobody there.

"Sakura?"

She walked to the counter and looked behind it. She saw the cashier's limp clothes crumpled on the floor with a stab hole in the back.

Cell was down here.

"Sakura-chan!" Selena called, frantically looking through the whole room for the little girl. "Oh God, please be alive! Sakura!"

She couldn't find the little girl, or her clothes. She clutched a fist in sorrowful frustration.

"Cell…if you even touch her, I will break every bone in your body before I kill you."

__

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm…"

A very low chuckle echoed through the room. It was Cell's voice. Selena looked around the room, but didn't see him.

__

Where is he? There's not very many places for him to hide in here…

"Seleeeeena…"

Cell's taunting voice hovered in the air. She looked over the room again, and still saw nothing. She unsheathed her staff, and began prowling towards possible hiding places. When she took one step…

"Seleeeeena…"

"Where are you?!" Selena roared in frustration.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm…" Cell chuckled again. Selena could hear him loud and clear that time. She had missed one very big hiding place.

She looked up at the ceiling…

…and he jumped on top of her!

^

Krillin heard her screaming, and ran to the doorway with stairs leading down into the laundromat.

"Selena!" he called, running down to the scene. He powered up an attack in one hand as he ran. When his foot touched the bottom level floor, he immediately aimed at the giant, green monster holding Selena in the air by her throat. "Hang on!" He called out in warning. Without moving his head, Cell held his hand out to the attack, and froze the energy beam in mid air. Nervous, Krillin backed up a few steps. Cell flexed his hand, and Krillin's attack flew right back at its origin, exploding on Krillin's chest.

"Krill…in…" Selena coughed, trying to shout under Cell's tight grasp. She grabbed Cell's wrist to keep from loosing air, and kicked her feet desperately.

"Relax." Cell soothed, looking at her desperate face. "You won't die…yet."

"Why…" Selena gasped for air as her face slowly turned blue. "Why…do you…let me live? Why?"

Cell smirked at her.

"Because I have a long way to go before I'm done with you."

Suddenly, he let her go. She fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. Cell walked away from her. He headed for the stairway. Krillin backed away from the approaching monster, whimpering.

"Wait." Selena stopped. Cell stopped as his foot landed on the first step. He froze as she slowly got up. "What have you done…to Sakura? Did you…"

"I haven't seen her." He admitted. "She isn't here." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll find her for you."

"NOOOOO!" Selena yelled. Cell cackled and dashed up the stairs. Selena lunged foreword, but stumbled with lack of breath and fell to the ground. Krillin ran to her.

"Selena!"

"Go…" She coughed, trying to get up. "Go…get Sakura…"

Krillin hesitated for a minute, then helped her up.

"C'mon." he urged. "We better go together."

^

They ran up the stairs to the lobby. It was extremely quiet, and the rumpled clothes of the once living people littered the ground. A couple of them were hanging limp on the reception desk. After fully catching her breath, Selena dashed up the stairs, checking the ceiling to make sure Cell wasn't clinging to it. Krillin followed her.

"Selena, where are you…"

"SHHHHHHH!" Selena hissed harshly, stopping where she was and turning her head sharply to him. Krillin stopped and whispered.

__

"Where are you going?"

"To my room." Selena whispered back. _"I just wanna check."_ She resumed running up the stairs and heading to her hotel room. 

The door was closed.

She was pretty sure she had left it open.

Trying to take Cell by surprise, she kicked open the door, and pointed her staff around the room.

Cell was nowhere to be seen. Nothing was out of place. All of Selena's stuff had been put back into it's proper capsule before she had gone looking for Cell earlier. However…

…the window was smashed. Selena lowered her staff and walked to it. Krillin followed her through the door, not wanting to close the door and trap them inside the room.

"What's up?" he asked quietly, not quite whispering.

"I dunno." Selena sighed at normal volume, certain that Cell wasn't in the room. She turned her head towards the bathroom door, and saw nothing inside. "She's not here. I hope he wasn't lying."

"Huh?" Krillin wondered, looking up at her.

"Cell could be lying." She feared. "Maybe he did find her, and…oh man." She groaned, leaning on the windowsill.

"Hey, don't give up." Krillin gave her a little hope. "Maybe he wasn't lying. Maybe Sakura is still in this building. Let's go check the laundromat one more time. She might be there somewhere."

"I'll never let that girl out of my sight again…" Selena groaned about to turn back to the door.

CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK-CHT!

The door to the room slowly and noisily shut. Both Selena and Krillin slowly turned their heads to the door. They saw Cell, who was hiding behind the door slowly close it with one hand and trap them in the room. He was grinning ear to ear in satisfaction.

Before Selena could mutter a certain four letter word…

^

…she found herself and Krillin blown out the window with an energy blast. Selena panicked in free fall, thinking she was going to die. Krillin managed to get a hold of himself and took Selena's hand. He gently floated down to the ground and set Selena on her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hovering so that he was at eye level. Selena blinked at him in surprise.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"You do know how to fly, right?"

"Fly?!" Selena squeaked.

Suddenly, Cell crashed out of the window above, and lunged for the two on the ground. Selena prepared herself for attack while Krillin cowardly jumped out of the way. Cell attacked Selena, snaking his tail ahead of him for the strike. She jumped out of the way as the tail hit pavement instead of her. Then she drew her staff as Cell thrusted a punch. She blocked with the thin wood as though it were a shield, and blocked other punches Cell flung at her in the same manner. Keeping her eyes on his fists, she was barely able to keep up with his fighting speed. She was only able to block most of his punches, some of them hit her with great force, but holding off against him seemed to become no problem anymore.

"Krillin!" Selena shouted to her friend, not looking away from Cell's attacked. Krillin watched in attention. "Go get Sakura! She's still here somewhere! Go find her, now!"

"Right!" Krillin nodded, taking to the skies. Selena kept blocking, until Cell managed to find an unguarded side of her chest, and jabbed it hard. Selena faltered, and Cell took the opportunity to launch a hard kick that sent her flying to the other side of the street. She skidded on her back to a hard stop at an intersection filled with stabbed clothes and some crashed cars. She lifted her feet, and brought them down hard to hoist herself up to a crouch. She quickly stood up as Cell ran after her. Looking at the cars, she quickly thought of a defense. 

Cell suddenly fanned out his wings and lunged for her with a flexed hand. He was going to claw her as his first attack. Just before he could touch her, she jumped onto one of the cars, and pointed her staff at him. She quickly fired a Tamashii no Ya at him, and it hit him at point blank. She powered up one more of her trademark attack, and fired it again into the cloud of dust she had already created. She waited for the smoke to clear. As it did clear, she didn't see the monster within it. She smiled, thinking she had eliminated him. 

Then she heard an annoyed growl a small distance away. She looked up the street, and saw that Cell wasn't destroyed, but blown to the other side of the street. His arms were crossed in an X before him in the block and he was sitting on his rear. His tail thumped the street angrily. He lowered his shield and glared at her like he was being punished. Selena blinked at him curiously as he stood up.

"You…" he said slowly, "you knocked me across the street…" Suddenly, he smiled in amusement. "Not bad. Your ki attacks are much stronger than your physical attacks. I'm amazed you don't know how to fly yet."

"Any reason why I should fly?" Selena growled, powering up another attack. 

"Until you do," Cell began to purr, "I have the advantage." Then he waited for her to attack. Selena powered up her ki to its possible strongest, intending to blow Cell to pieces. Then, she remembered what happened last time she did this. Cell knocked the attack away with one hand. The only reason he didn't knock it away earlier was because she took him by surprise. She looked him up and down from her perch and recalculated her odds.

__

He's expecting me to attack again.

If I'm going to win this fight, I need to rely on the element of surprise.

It's the only way to end this.

She powered down her attack, and sheathed her staff on her back. Cell blinked in surprise, wondering what she was planning. Suddenly, Selena turned around, hopped off the opposite of the car, and started walking away. Cell blinked a couple more times, then smirked.

__

You little fool.

What did you mean by you were smarter than me?

He lunged for her, jumping over the car, and poising his tail in front of him. Selena suddenly took off running, and Cell followed on foot. Selena kept quickening her pace, leaving the space between her and Cell growing wider and wider. Cell watched her in surprise.

__

Oh my God…

How can any human run so fast?

He quickened his pace, running at about forty miles per hour. He found himself closing in on her. Selena didn't look behind her once. She could hear his heavy footsteps running behind her. 

KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT…

Her footsteps were going just as fast.

__

Tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk…

Cell couldn't believe his eyes.

__

This is impossible!

How could she be faster than me?! It doesn't make any sense, I am the perfect warrior, and she is just a mere human!

Time to end this!

He fanned out his wings, and jumped into a flying lunge. He drew back a fist as he approached her fast. Selena just barely had time to look behind her when a very hard punch in the back immobilized her, and flung her into another crashed car, causing it to explode. She bounced on the street a few times like a skipping stone across water, then skidded to a stop on her side and landed on her stomach. She didn't even have the strength to stand up. Cell landed on his feet next to her.

"You never cease to impress me." He said to her from above. "That'll end when you're dead."

"You won't kill me." Selena moaned, clutching a hand into a fist to help quell her pain. Cell frowned at her as she continued. "You're letting me live. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done that a long time ago."

"Hmph." He huffed. "Perhaps I am letting you live. Perhaps I decide that I will not be the cause of your death." He pointed the tip of his tail at the back of her neck where she could feel it. "I can change my mind whenever I want, my dear."

"No, you won't." Selena believed, using her fist to wipe away the blood at the corner of her mouth. "You won't."

Cell stared down at her for a moment, absolutely impressed. He was amazed how much will and strength the young woman possessed. In a way, she reminded him of the Namek. He began to contemplate the connection between Piccolo and Selena. He knew her, she used a fighting style similar to his, and she even had his determination. The only way she could have those traits was if…

"Kienzan!" a cry from above yelled, and Cell felt a large burst of ki. He looked up to see a disk of ki with razor sharp edges headed straight for him. He quickly gathered Selena in his arms, and jumped out of the way of the attack. The Kienzan attack sliced a whole building in half, causing it to tumble to the ground in a huge cloud of dust. Hovering a safe distance in the air, Cell turned his head to Krillin. Krillin glared down at the monster from a much higher spot in the air. They stared at each other for a while Selena hung limp in Cell's strong grip. 

She opened her eyes and looked down at the ground below. She didn't panic, she wasn't afraid of heights, but did faintly wonder how she could be hovering in the air. She could feel a faint amount of ki holding Cell up in the air. She could also feel the same for the nearby Krillin. So, that was all she had to do? Use a faint amount of her ki to stay aloft?

As she wondered, Cell smiled up at Krillin with a cruel intention in mind. Krillin tried to stay unaffected, but Cell was just too creepy. Suddenly, Cell released his arms, and Selena fell to the ground. Krillin panicked, and dove down to catch her. Meanwhile, Cell made his getaway, flying away from the scene. Selena tumbled downward through the air, the wind whistled harshly in her ears. Krillin was rushing down to try to save her.

"Selena!" he called down to her. "Hold on!"

However…

__

Concentrate your ki…

Let it push you off the ground…

Selena gritted her teeth, powering up her ki. A white aura burned around her body like painless flames. Krillin watched in amazement, blinking a few times. Cell slowed his escape to look behind him. 

Just inches from the pavement and her death, Selena stopped her decent and hovered above the ground. She stayed in place, and caught her breath. Concentrating again, she slowly lifted her body in the air with only her ki. She kept her feet together and her arms spread out to her sides and rose into the air. Krillin was amazed, and he started smiling.

"I'm sorry." He apologized to her as she righted herself like she was standing. "I thought you didn't know how to fly."

"I just learned how." Selena sighed, keeping her arms stretched out to her sides. She looked ahead of her to see Cell stopped in mid air, looking back at her with frightened admiration.

__

Incredible…

It wasn't her ability to fly with the major leagues that frightened him…

It was her aura.

A pure white light that shone bright and dim, like a twinkling star, but kept the same glow as the full moon. The aura that spread across her arms was much more fuller and broader. It gave the illusion that she had wings.

__

Like…an angel…

Keeping his findings to himself, he flew off. Selena watched him go, and mentally smiled to herself.

__

Yeah, go ahead. Fly away, you coward.

No matter where you go, I will be right behind you, every step of the way.

^

Krillin guided Selena to a building top where Piccolo stood. Sakura was huddled in his arms. Selena was so glad to see the little girl safe and sound, she leapt onto the roof of the building, and hugged Sakura tightly. Piccolo lifted the little girl into Selena's arms.

"She cried herself to sleep." He assured. "I got her out of the building before Cell could get her."

"Oh, thank you so much." She sobbed, hugging Sakura tighter and tighter. The little girl didn't wake up. Selena looked up at Piccolo. "Thank you. I don't know how else…how else I can repay you."

Piccolo glared at her.

"Get as far away from this part of the world as you can." He ordered. "I can see the creature is following you. Why, I don't know for sure. Just run far away from here." Selena looked into his eyes. She couldn't see any trace of Kami in the young brute before her.

"If he's following me…" she deducted, "then there is no where I can go. I must fight to stay alive." Piccolo narrowed his eyes at her. Any likeness of Kami that could have existed was gone.

"No! I forbid you to fight him!" he snapped. "You can't possibly fight a power like him!"

"I've lived this long, right?!" she argued, harshly to the man who was no longer Kami. "I can fight him. I can beat him. You just have to believe I can. I know I can."

"You are an idiot!" Piccolo yelled. 

Krillin looked between them, not believing what he was seeing. Selena sure did have guts. Starting an argument with Piccolo was as dangerous as starting a fight with Vegeta. He was also amazed that Sakura was still asleep through all the shouting. Trying to keep out of it, he took a seat by the edge of the building top, and looked out at the dead city.

"There's nothing you can do!" Selena snapped at the Namek. "I will hunt down that son of a bitch, and I'm gonna kill him! That thing doesn't deserve to live!"

"I refuse to let you anywhere near it!" Piccolo shouted back at her. "It won't hesitate to kill you if given the chance."

"I doubt that."

"What?!"

"Alright, alright, lemme think for a minute…" Selena decided for a moment, staring at the ground. A small compromise came into her head. Bringing her head back up, she disguised her compromise as a done deal. "I know a place I can go where Cell will never be able to set foot. I'll be safe there, you can count on that." Piccolo looked at her in suspicion, then sighed through his nose in small defeat.

"Fine." He decided. "Go there, and waste no time. The longer it takes you to get there, the more likely you'll die."

"Glad we understand each other." Selena nodded, using a free hand to reach for a capsule. Piccolo turned his head to Krillin.

"Krillin, I want you to go with her."

"HUH?!" Krillin gasped. Selena smiled.

"I get a bodyguard, eh?" she chuckled, taking out the capsule for her swoop. "Great. I also get the one who runs away the first sign of danger."

"I didn't run away!" Krillin protested as the swoop appeared in a large cloud of dust. "He took me by surprise."

"It's okay. I was just kidding around." She chuckled, sitting down behind the handlebars and strapping herself and the sleeping Sakura into one seatbelt. "I dunno if I have room for one more on here…"

"That's okay." Krillin insisted. "I'll fly." Selena gave the nod of approval, and started up the engine. She took of in a huge burst of speed, and Krillin followed behind her in mid air. Piccolo watched them leave until they were but spots in the distance. He lowered his head and sighed sadly.

"Shikimi…" Kami mourned deep in his heart.

^

Selena didn't have much trouble keeping an eye on the road, but tried to focus. Her mind was on Kami. The old Namek with the biggest heart she had ever had the pleasure of knowing. The man who taught her how to defend herself, how to be brave, and how to be wise. He was her greatest teacher, her best friend, and the only father she had left. And now he was gone…

…taken away by the young, stupid, foolish brute named Piccolo.

Selena felt like crying, but tried to be strong. She gripped the handlebars of her swoop in suffering as she steered. She would cry when the time came to stop. 

Krillin, flying beside her swoop, looked over at her sorrowful face. He had seen that kind of face before. Years ago, Bulma wore that face when Yamcha died in the hands of Vegeta and Nappa. Back then, her eyes were horrified, her face frozen, she tried not to cry. Selena wore that face now. He flew just a little closer to her.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah." Her voice denighed, a little cracked, as though it was parched and needed a drink of water. Krillin half smiled in understanding, and he put a hand on one of hers.

"He's not dead, Selena." He comforted. "He's still the man he once was…there's just…more of Piccolo in him then Kami…"

Selena just sighed heavily.

"But it feels like he's gone now." She sobbed. One small tear dripped onto Sakura's head. "And he'll never come back. Anyone whom I've ever considered family is dead, and now Kami joins them. It's just not fair."

__

Aw, poor kid… Krillin frowned in his head. _I wish I could say I know how she feels…Anyone that I've known that died was wished back to life with the dragonballs._

"It'll be okay." Krillin tried to comfort, patting her hand while Sakura turned around in her seat and gave Selena a great big hug. Selena smiled.

"Thanks guys." She sniffed, patting Sakura's head with one hand. "Although, I'm not exactly sure how things can get any worse than they are now…"

****

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!

"Heads up!" Krillin shouted, looking behind him. Selena looked too, and saw Cell flying right behind them, matching the speed of her swoop. She gritted her teeth.

"Right when I say it, things got worse…" she muttered, taking off her seatbelt that tied her and Sakura to the chair. "Krillin, take Sakura!"

"Okay!" Krillin agreed, helping the child out of Selena's lap and clutching her in his arms. Sakura reached out to Selena desperately.

"Selena-san!" she screamed, trying to get back to Selena's security. Selena looked behind her one last time, and noticed that Cell was neither gaining on her nor loosing speed. She sensed he had some sort of plan. She thought of a plan of her own to thwart him.

"We'll split up!" she shouted to Krillin. "Either he won't know who to follow, or he'll follow me!"

"Why you?" Krillin wondered, "what if he follows me?"

"It's me he wants, not you guys!" she theorized. "I'll meet you in the next town, alright?!"

"I'll be there!" Krillin nodded, flashing her a thumbs up. She gave him a thumbs up as well, then found herself approaching a T section in the road.

__

Perfect… she smiled in her head. She took the left road, so Krillin banked to the right. Selena looked behind her, and saw Cell stop in the middle of the crossing, look both ways in a split second, then fire a ki blast in Selena's direction. Not able to steer her swoop away fast enough, Selena jumped off her vehicle. The blast hit the swoop, causing a loud explosion. Selena fell to the ground, shielding herself from flying debris.

__

That moron owes me two swoops now… she growled to herself, looking around. Cell was still at the crossing with one hand outstretched in her direction. Suddenly, he drew it back, fanned out his wings, and flew in the direction Krillin was headed. 

Selena panicked.

__

NO!

^

The words _"Oh crap!"_ zipped through Krillin's mind several times when he sensed Cell right behind him.

__

I knew it! I knew it! I knew he would follow me and not her! Why does this bull always happen to me?!

Sakura screamed when she saw Cell flying right behind them. Krillin tried to soothe the girl while coming up with a plan of escape.

"Calm down." He said to her. "Don't panic. Don't panic." He looked behind him again just in time to see Cell disappear from his pursuit. Krillin looked ahead of him, and went bug eyed seeing the monster flying in front of him and straight at him in a collision course.

"PANIC!" Krillin began screaming, trying to stop flying. "PANIC!" He failed. Cell flung a hand palm in his face, ripping Sakura out of the monk's arms in the process. Krillin was flung right into a lamppost, bending it in half. Sakura shrieked and screamed for help as Cell held her securely with one arm. He fired an energy blast at Krillin to finish the pint-sized warrior off.

Selena suddenly appeared on the scene, standing in front of Krillin and getting in the way of the blast. Afraid of harming the girl, Cell directed the blast up into the air just before impact and it ached into the air and landed in a distant part of the city. Selena remained motionless during the whole scene. She smiled at the monster.

"So you are letting me live." She deducted.

"Psh." Cell hiss through his beak. "I believe you have sworn yourself to hunt me down. You said that I 'didn't deserve to live.' How could you hunt me down if you're dead?" Selena blinked a few times.

"You heard all that?"

"Not much escapes these ears of mine." Cell smirked, tightening his grip around Sakura. "And if it's a hunt you want, it's a hunt you will get. I caution you, my dear, at any time I can decide that I won't let you live any longer."

"I don't think that'll happen anytime soon." Selena shook her head, pointing her staff at him. He pointed his tail at Sakura, who started screaming again. He put a hand over her mouth to quiet her. Selena started walking towards Cell angrily. Cell took one cautious step back.

"What are you doing?"

"Put her down."

"Why?"

"Well, it wouldn't be easy for you to fight me with your hands and tail full, now would it?"

Cell looked over Selena for a moment, wondering what exactly she was planning. Seeing nothing suspicious with the events so far, he smiled and dropped Sakura to the ground. The little girl ran to Selena and hugged her with all her might.

"Selena-san! Selena-san, don't ever leave me again!"

"No way." Selena agreed, prying the girl off her hip. "Go to Krillin and make sure he's alright, okay?" Sakura took off for the little, bald man. Selena refixed her gaze to Cell. He smiled into hers. He parted his feet and lowered himself into a defensive position, stretching his arms before him and flexing his hands and fingers, the left one directly behind the right. He remained smiling in confidence and excitement.

He had no idea what this battle could bring.

He waited for Selena to make her move.

^

Selena gripped her staff tightly, and lunged for Cell, ready to smash the jewel tip into his head. Cell was ready for it, and he ducked his head out of the way easily enough. In the few brief seconds Selena hung in the air in her lunge, Cell brought his knee up into her stomach hard, then punched her head hard enough to send her flying back the way she came. Catching herself, she raised her ki to slow her tumble, and flipped herself around so that she landed on her feet.

Cell took his turn to lunge to her, and Selena took the defense. Cell began flinging split-second punches at her, but she blocked every single one with her forearms, matching his attack speed exactly. She found a very small opening in a split second, and took the gamble. She landed a punch on his face, causing him to stagger back a few steps with a surprised growl. Selena dodged for the attack, and it was Cell's turn to dodge.

With incredible strength and speed that seemed to lay dormant until now, Selena launched several fast attacks on Cell. The monster could barely keep up with such speed, he found himself taking damage and a good lot of it. Selena finished off her lightning quick punches with a hard sidekick to Cell's neck. Cell tumbled to the side, roaring in pain. Selena landed before he did, and followed up one more kick to the other side of his neck. Cell fell in the other direction and landed on his stomach. Selena immediately pounced on him like a pro wrestler, and wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep from moving. 

Cell struggled to free himself, squirming and turning over several times. Selena started laughing triumphantly as Cell tried to pry at least his arms free. 

"I'm not letting go, bastard!" she cried in victory as he rolled around trying to crush her into the pavement. "I've got you now!"

"Alright Selena!" Krillin and Selena cheered on the sidelines, happy that Selena was winning. 

"Ride 'em, cowgirl!" Krillin shouted during the hollering. Selena smiled at that as Cell tried to arch his back.

"Yee-hah!" She cried out like a western rodeo star. "Howdy, howdy, howdy! Howdy, howdy, howdy!"

"Let go!" Cell cried, not believing it was happening to him. Selena just squeezed tighter, keeping his arms pinned to his side and his legs out of the fighting picture. Even his tail was having trouble reaching her. Selena just kept laughing.

"I finally got you right where I want you," she yelled at him as he struggled, "and I'm not about to let you go! If I'm gonna let you go, it'll be when the Namek blasts you into itty-bitty pieces!"

"You'll be dead before then!" Cell promised, coming up with a plan. He quickly pushed himself up to a bow on his knees, but Selena still held onto him. He began bending back ward, but Selena kept her grip as strong as ever.

"You're not winning this battle!" Selena shouted as she was bent backward against her body's will. Her bear hug shifted up Cell's body a bit, stopping at the shoulder. With his elbows free, he bent one forearm up and grabbed Selena's left arm. 

"You may be the winner of the battle…" he growled, prying the arm off him and closer to his face, "…but the war is mine!" With that, he bore his fangs and bit down on her arm. Selena screamed in unimaginable pain. Cell began biting so hard on her arm, the bone broke in half in his jaws. A pink fluid absorbed itself into her blood, causing her to feel like her arm was on fire. She screamed louder, eventually letting go of Cell. Free at last, Cell took his mouth off her arm, and flung her across the street, further breaking the bone out of place. She skidded to a stop by a stop sign, almost touching it with a toe. With her good arm, she pushed herself up to her knees and held her broken arm. The two bite holes went right through her arm, streaking red down to her hand and fingers. Cell wiped some of the pink fluid off his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked up into the sky. 

"…" Selena glared at Cell, ready to fight again if she must. Cell looked at her with some indecisiveness. He turned his head to look at Sakura and Krillin. Sakura was clutching Krillin with fear. Krillin kept one protective arm around her and one free hand for a defensive ki attack. Cell looked back at Selena, who hadn't moved or changed her facial expression at all. He smiled at her, like she was an old friend. Selena sighed heavily out of her nose, and clutched her broken arm tighter. 

Suddenly, Cell clapped his heels together once, then bent over fifty degrees down with one polite hand over his chest. He was bowing to her! Selena's expression changed to a strange breed of confusion and surprise. He remained frozen in that position for a full thirty seconds, then lifted his head to look at her. Seeing her face, he smiled and straightened himself before flying away. 

She watched him fly off into the distance of the city. Then a large gust of wind blew down the street, scattering some of the loose clothes and blowing through Selena's brown hair. Selena didn't take her eyes off the place where Cell disappeared in the distance, not even when Piccolo and Tien came to her assistance.

"Shikimi! Are you alright?!"

****

To be continued soon…

**END OF EPISODE BONUS**

Masquerade: This chapter's bonus includes a scene that was axed out of Unholy Crusade at the last minute. It would have appeared in chapter six or seven. Roll it!

***

Cell lay on his stomach on a house roof while staring at the setting sun. He had just absorbed everyone in the city, and was slightly tired. He decided to rest in a nice and high place to keep from being discovered too easily. He had powered down about half an hour ago, so he wasn't in danger until he fed again. 

He rested his chin on his folded arms and sighed. Then he quickly scanned the streets below; half-hoping Selena would show up. He saw nothing that alerted him of her presence. He directed his eyes back to the setting sun, trying not to think of that strange girl. He failed miserably.

__

Shikimi "Selena" Lawless…what a fascinating girl…

She is so much stronger and faster than I had ever expected her to be. 

Something stirred in his memory that bugged him. Remembering Selena made him feel a strange case of déjà vu. 

__

It's almost as though I have met her before…

He closed his eyes, picturing the girl in his mind. Medium sized, brown hair that stretched to the middle of her back, sapphire blue eyes (he admired her eyes so much), sun tanned skin, rather nice figure and bust size…

__

Her face…

The shape of her face was so hard and cold, but her eyes and full lips were soft and comforting…

__

I have seen that face before!

He remembered back to the future, to the ruined world destroyed by the androids. He could remember a woman with Selena's face, holding the very ki staff she had in her hands. He could remember her name…

__

"Sel…Selena…"

When had he seen that woman?

Yes, in a wrecked city just north of East City, some two months after he was born. He had salvaged as much life energy as he could, feeding off survivors of the android's attacks. He was following the android's path of destruction, one city at a time, at least fifty cities a day, stopping at night to rest. 

He saw the woman attack him, like many other foolish humans had. He could see that she was a very skilled fighter, especially with the ki staff in her hands. He watched her eyes grow wide in fear when he broke her staff in two. He could remember her loud, high screams whenever she was knocked to the ground. He can remember chuckling to himself when she stood up for more. He could feel the triumph of finally cornering her battered and bruised body for the kill. 

She had sneered at him.

__

"I don't believe this…" she had spat at him, _"beaten by some punk who doesn't even know the first thing about fighting."_

He had been insulted, but he didn't say anything. How dare she talk like that to the ultimate warrior! 

__

"Who are you?" the woman demanded of him. He had refused to say. No one would learn his name until he was ready to make it known.

He pointed his tail at her to suck her life away. She didn't move, ready to accept her fate.

He could hear voices behind him, coming to the woman's aide.

__

"Selena!" a man called. _"Hold on! We'll help you!"_

The woman ignored them.

__

"Selena!" another man called. The woman ignored them again.

Then, another man cried out to the woman.

__

"Sel!"

Shocked upon hearing his name, Cell turned his head to the men. There were three of them, with the same ki staffs Selena had. They were members of the Four Guardians, protectors of the human race. 

__

" 'Sel?' " the woman wondered. Cell turned his head to her, wondering how she knew his name. Suddenly, the woman smiled wickedly. _"Cell."_ She said to herself. _"Your name is Cell."_

__

She had found out…

She had lunged for him.

__

"YOUR NAME IS CELL!" she yelled triumphantly. Cell immediately stabbed into her chest with his tail, and gulped away her soul.

He finally retreated from his memory, staring back down at the street.

__

So, it was her. She had figured out my name in the future, and now her ghost has come to haunt me.

He chuckled, his tail gently swayed back and forth on the roof like a clock pendulum.

__

Well, I have my own way of exorcising ghosts…

****

The End


	6. Tag! You're It!

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 6: Tag! You're It!

Last chapter…

__

"…" Selena glared at Cell, ready to fight again if she must. Cell looked at her with some indecisiveness. He turned his head to look at Sakura and Krillin. Sakura was clutching Krillin with fear. Krillin kept one protective arm around her and one free hand for a defensive ki attack. Cell looked back at Selena, who hadn't moved or changed her facial expression at all. He smiled at her, like she was an old friend. Selena sighed heavily out of her nose, and clutched her broken arm tighter. 

Suddenly, Cell clapped his heels together once, then bent over fifty degrees down with one polite hand over his chest. He was bowing to her! Selena's expression changed to a strange breed of confusion and surprise. He remained frozen in that position for a full thirty seconds, then lifted his head to look at her. Seeing her face, he smiled and straightened himself before flying away. 

She watched him fly off into the distance of the city. Then a large gust of wind blew down the street, scattering some of the loose clothes and blowing through Selena's brown hair. Selena didn't take her eyes off the place where Cell disappeared in the distance, not even when Piccolo and Tien came to her assistance.

"Shikimi! Are you alright?!"

^

Piccolo yelled out Selena's name as he landed on the ground and ran to her. She didn't look at him; she just stared up at the sky where Cell had long since disappeared. She seemed awed, in total surprise, momentarily ignoring her arm. Piccolo gave her a painful reminder by taking her arm and lifting it slightly.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Selena yelled, slumping over in pain. Krillin, Sakura and Tien ran to her side as well, asking if she was alright. Her immediate response was, "Not anymore…"

"How could you have let this happen?" Piccolo almost snapped. "I told you to stay away from him and to not even think about fighting him."

"He attacked me," Selena snapped at him ferociously, "and I had to defend myself. What else could I do?"

"Run away."

"He's faster than I am! I couldn't go anywhere!"

"She has a point." Krillin stood up for Selena. "Cell chased us down, and Selena tried to shake him off, but he was too smart for her. If it weren't for Selena's bravery, we'd've been killed."

"…" Piccolo was silent for a minute as he looked at Selena's arm. It looked beyond mendable, and it would be a hell of a story for any hospital doctor to take. He reached into a fold in his gi for the pouch of senzu beans, hoping a tiny seed would mend her arm.

"I better get to a doctor before we go anywhere…" Selena sighed.

"No." Piccolo shook his head, holding a senzu between two fingers. "Eat one of these. It's a senzu bean, and it should fix you right up."

"Alright." Selena half-smiled, holding out her good hand. Piccolo set the bean in her palm and she quickly popped it in her mouth, chewing hard and swallowing. It took a couple of seconds, but her wounded arm seemed to mend itself back together. Selena watched in amazement as a feeling of renewal flowed through her arm as the bone set itself back into place and the skin pressed over it and the scab line faded away and healed.

Her arm had been healed…

…except for the bite marks on her forearm.

Selena flexed her arm a few times, not feeling any pain. However, her forearm where the bites were started to ache, and she was feeling tired.

"Neat." She smiled. "But I'm feeling sleepy…"

"Huh?" Piccolo wondered. "How could you be tired?"

"It was a hard fight…" Selena yawned, "…and I wanna take a nap now."

"You can't go to sleep now!" Krillin scolded in worry. "We gotta get outta here before Cell comes back!"

"You're right." Selena smiled, trying to stand up. The senzu healed all of her injuries, allowing her to stand up unharmed with her energy restored. "Let's try to move out a little. I know where we're going."

"Where are you going?" Piccolo asked in suspicion. Selena smirked at him.

"The one place Cell will never go, not even if he wanted to." She hinted. Piccolo instantly got the message.

"Back to the Sacred City with you, eh?" he wondered. "Well, get there fast. Cell may be on your trail the whole trip. So the sooner you get there, the better."

"Sacred City?" Krillin wondered. "Where's that?"

"Very far north of here." Tien explained. "Chao-tzu and I have been there on our travels. It's a place for guardians to train, live, and to protect the land. It's sacred ground, and no evil can set foot there. You guys should be safe enough from Cell there."

"Sounds good to me!" Krillin grinned as Sakura nodded.

"We better get going." Selena suggested, surpressing a yawn with one hand. "And…I need to stop somewhere along the way and sleep…"

"Oh geez…" Krillin sighed as Selena started walking down the road. "How could she be sleepy at a time like this?"

"It may be the senzu bean…" Piccolo bit his lip. "She's had this reaction to them before back at the Tenkai."

"You know about it?" Krillin wondered, looking up at Piccolo. Then, it dawned on him. "Oh yeah, that's right. Kami was her master for a while, right?"

"…" Piccolo didn't respond. Sakura ran to Selena, and took a hand into hers, walking along side the girl. Krillin decided to follow them, so he jogged after them, waving to Piccolo and Tien behind him.

"We'll be in the Sacred City if you need us!" he called. "See ya!"

"Take care, guys!" Tien called after them as the threesome rounded a corner. Piccolo watched them leave, then turned to Tien.

"Cell shouldn't have gotten far. Let's see if he's still in the city."

^

"Oh yeah…" Selena yawned as a memory came back to her. "Now I remember senzu beans. They knocked me out whenever I ate one…we better get a place to sleep fast, guys, cause I'm gonna go out like a light any minute now."

"Oh no…" Krillin moaned as Selena lowered herself to one knee. "Selena, you can't go to sleep on us. I don't even know where this Sacred City is!"

"Stay awake, Selena-san!" Sakura urged, shaking Selena's shoulder. "What if Cell comes to get us?! You'll be asleep, and can't fight!"

"I know…" Selena sighed. "Hey, Krillin, can you drive a swoop?"

"Not really…" Krillin admitted. "I'm too short to drive one…"

"Then can you carry all of us, and fly us to the city?"

"I…guess I could, but I dunno where the city is…"

"Directly north of here…past a range of snowy mountains…on the Irish boarder. It's not all that hard to find…if you know what you're looking for." Selena directed. "Do you think you can get there?"

"Sure." Krillin nodded. "No prob."

Selena smiled at him thankfully, then her eyes closed and she collapsed to the street.

"Selena-san!" Sakura yelled in panic. Krillin checked Selena for any signs of life. She was breathing, and her heartbeat was normal. She had fallen into a very deep sleep.

"Oh man…" Krillin moaned, picking up Selena and hoisting her on his back so that she was comfortably slumped on his shoulders. He picked up Sakura in his arms and carefully hovered in the air. "How come I'm the one who's stuck in tight spots like this?!" He took another look at his situation, and blushed. "Well, then again…how often have I carried around cute girls on my back?" When Sakura giggled, Krillin blushed a deeper shade of red. "Uh, okay. Off to the Sacred City!" He flew at a careful speed, to make sure the sleeping Selena didn't fall off his back. He headed straight north, hoping to stop around the mountain range Selena talked about.

__

Well, let's hope Cell doesn't get there before we do…

^

From a high building top, Cell watched Krillin leave with his company. Cell smiled at the sight.

__

Well, he won't get very far with all that weight he's carrying.

That's a good thing too. 

I have another game I'd like to play with Selena…

…it would be a shame to leave her out of all the fun.

^

__

She was having the dream again…

Selena was standing behind the forest, and facing a lake…

She had seen this lake before…

On the other side of the lake was a stone archway that led into further darkness…

On the ground, by the arch, was a small body lying in a pool of fresh blood…

It was the body of a child…

The clothes were familiar…

"Sakura!" Selena cried out with horror. "Sakura! I'm coming!"…

Selena began to run…

Everything seemed so slow…

Her foot touched the water like it was solid ground…

She began to run across the water, slightly disturbing the stillness of the lake with slow ripples…

She looked down at her feet and stopped running…

The water rippled out from her feet, warping her reflection in the lake…

She looked at the reflection…

Something was odd about it…

As the ripples began to calm, the reflection became clear…

The reflection was not Selena…

It was Cell…

Selena's heart filled with fear…

Her face paled…

Her eyes widened…

Her breath was stolen away…

The reflection did not move…

"No!" she cried, putting her hands to the side of her head…

The reflection put his hands to the side of his head…

"No! This isn't right!" she screamed. "Go away!"…

She kicked the surface of the lake with all her might…

The water suddenly burst into strange, sickly yellow flames…

Selena fell into the flames, feeling no pain…

From the flickering fires, human hands, arms, and the faces of skulls appeared…

The skulls were screaming in horror and pain…

The hands grabbed for Selena…

The arms tried to pin her in one place…

Selena tried to struggle out of them, trying to reach the other side of the lake…

The hands scratched her…

The arms pummeled her with lariats…

The skulls tried to bite her…

She swam through the fire as though it was water…

It all felt like strong gravity trying to drag her down into the yellow flames…

Almost to the other side…

"Sakura!" Selena yelled, reaching out her hand…

The tiny hand seemed so far away, yet was so very close…

Selena jumped foreword to grab the hand…

"Sakura!"…

Many hands grabbed her and hoisted her in the air…

Hands from the fire…

Selena was plunged into the flames…

She was dragged down, down, down…

She fell into clawing, biting, yellow emptiness…

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"…

All was black…

Selena's eyes snapped open as she gasped awake. She looked around her surroundings. She was laid on a sleeping bag, and she was in a camping tent. She recognized it as her own tent she would camp out in when she couldn't get to a town in the middle of the night. She sat up and rubbed her head. She was getting a huge headache, and she was desperate for aspirin. She got up, and headed for the tent flap.

"Oh, you're up!" Krillin greeted cheerfully. "Good. Now we can keep going." Selena noticed Krillin and Sakura resting in some fold out chairs that was also hers. Selena blinked a couple of times. Was she still dreaming? She was in a forest…

"Why is all my stuff out here?" she moaned sleepily.

"Oh, well you and Sakura were about to snap my back while I was carrying you." Krillin chuckled. "So, while you were still asleep, I took out your capsule case and set up camp. And, uh, just in case you were wondering, you've been sleeping for a couple hours. We didn't loose a lot of time. The town of Curry is just a couple miles from here. Am I on the right trail?"

"Yeah." Selena smiled. "You've been going the right way. Thanks Krillin, I'll take it from here. Let's pack up and keep going." She quickly put the tent back in its capsule case while Krillin and Sakura pushed the buttons to their chairs that warped them back into capsules. 

"Are we going into town?" Sakura wondered as Selena placed the capsules back in her case.

"Probably not." Selena shook her head. "We don't need supplies, and I want to try and stay far away from towns. If Cell is following us, I don't want him picking up any free lunches along the way."

"Good idea." Krillin nodded. "When do we get going?"

"Let's get moving now." Selena suggested, taking out the capsule for her third swoop. She still had two left, and probably had to get two more. But that was more than she could afford. Perhaps when this whole thing was over, she could get a job that could pay off the next two swoops. She hopped in her swoop, and helped Sakura into the front seat. Krillin insisted that he would fly beside her, since there was very little room left even for him. Selena started up the engine and stepped on the gas. The swoop zoomed through the woods on a forest trail, careful not to run into any trees. Selena quickly switched on the built in radio on the headboard panel. There was a traffic report and sports review, but she didn't really care. She felt better and more at ease with some sort of noise around her.

"And now for an update on the monster attacks." The announcer said after the sportscaster. "The latest towns to fall under the monster's murderous grasps are Smokey Town and Curry Town, both in the Spice county. Police are advising residents to…"

"WHAT?!" Selena and Krillin gasped. They looked in the direction of Curry Town, just to the east. Selena's eyes narrowed, and she turned her swoop in the direction of the attacked town.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Krillin yelped, almost bumping into her vehicle. "Where are you going?! I thought we were going to stay away from towns…and you said to Piccolo that you would stay away from Cell!"

"He should know that trying that is pointless now!" she snarled. "Besides, doing something to stop that creature is better than doing nothing at all!"

Krillin had to agree with her, but she didn't seem to realize…

…that she stood no chance against Cell…

^

Curry was an extremely old-fashioned town. The rich side was clearly separated from the poor side by the main street. The rich side of town was clean, neat, and well decorated with expensive colors and architecture. The poor side of town was just old buildings with houses and rooms stacked on top of each other. The space above the street was filled with numerous clotheslines that stretched from one window to another window across the street. Clothes not on the lines were sprawled out on both sides of the town, stabbed and laying limp. Cell went throughout the whole town, and took everyone's souls, whether they were rich or poor. Selena figured there would be more places for Cell to hide in the poorer section of town, so she decided to go there. 

Krillin and Sakura timidly followed. Krillin stayed close to the little girl, a little doubting in why Selena wanted Sakura to come with them this time. Probably because Selena needed someone to guard the girl, and Selena did not want to be alone while tracking down Cell. That was understandable…

Suddenly, Selena winced, holding her scarred arm. She looked at the bite marks on her arm. They were tightening and swelling, and it hurt her a lot. It was a very dull pain, like her arm was becoming numb. She shook her arm a couple of times as she continued down the street. She could sense Cell's aura close by, but she wasn't sure how close. She could only be sure that he was in the area…

…but was he watching them? Was he waiting for the right moment to strike?

"You okay?" Krillin asked her, noticing her holding her arm. She turned her head to look at him, and nodded.

"Yeah. It's nothing." She responded, then looked back out the street. She scanned the scene with her eyes, trying to find any hint of Cell's hiding place. She couldn't find anything past the littering clothes and scattered items of defense. She was getting scared; Cell was getting better and better at covering his tracks. A hunter had to learn how to be the hunted to survive, and Cell was being a very good hunted…

Suddenly, Selena's arm was aching so badly, she had to stop walking and clench her wrist. It was starting to hurt. She flexed her hand several times, but that only made the pain worse. Krillin walked up to her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he wondered, looking at her arm. The two bite marks were really swelling up, like a bee sting allergy. Selena clenched her teeth to try and fight back the pain. She looked at the building ahead of her. The pain really started to kick in as she walked up to it. That was slightly suspicious…

Suddenly, Sakura screamed, pointing into the building!

"THERE HE IS!" She shouted. "I SEE HIM!" 

Krillin and Selena looked deeper into the building. Selena leaned a little to catch any sound.

She did.

__

Kt-ch…kt-ch…kt-ch…kt-ch…

His footsteps…

"Yeah, he's in there alright." Selena nodded, turning to Sakura with a smile. "Good job, Sakura." The little girl smiled at her cutely. "Krillin, stay out here with Sakura. If you guys think I'm in trouble, then come after me."

"But Selena…" Krillin tried to protest. Selena gave him a hard glare.

"I need someone out here to protect Sakura. I wish I could, but I can't fight Cell and protect Sakura at the same time. Can you do that for me, Krillin?"

"Okay." Krillin agreed, shivering. "Is your arm alright?"

"Yeah." Selena lied, taking her staff out of its sheath. "I'll come back. Remember, don't come after me unless you're sure I'm in trouble, okay?"

"Right." Krillin nodded. 

Selena walked up to the building and opened the door. 

^

The building was very old and musty. It was entirely made of wood and plaster…and the wood was being attacked by a colony of termites. The wood floor creaked noisily, and was extremely fragile under Selena's feet. She had to take light steps; otherwise her feet would fall through the wood. All the lights were turned off, so it was rather difficult to see by. Most of the furniture she would see was rather new, but not top of the line. Also, most of the rooms were not very decorated, most of the walls were bare of even wallpaper. The smells of the building were heavy spices and rotting wood. The spices were new to her sense of smell; she couldn't determine what they were. She made her way to the kitchen.

It smelled wonderful in the kitchen. Someone was cooking something when Cell attacked. Selena noticed the stove was on, so she turned it off. Someone was cooking a tortilla loaded with spices on a skillet. Judging by the crumpled dress close by, it was a mom…expecting. Selena felt a deep pit in her stomach. That woman was going to have a baby, and now she was dead…along with the baby she would never have. Maternal instinct began to kick in. Were there children? Where were they? She quickly ran through the house, looking through the rooms. She ran up the stairs, and her foot fell through the top wooden step. She yanked her foot out of the broken wood, and took more careful steps while upstairs.

She unsheathed her staff while walking upstairs. Her scar was loosing its ache, and she was thankful for that. Now she could concentrate on her search. She peeked through open doors, looking around for both Cell and possible survivors. She found the room of the kids, but not even stabbed clothes were in the room. Selena checked the bedroom clock on the wall. The time was 2:15. It was also a weekday. The children would be in school right about now. Still, she kept her mind on seeking Cell. He was somewhere in the building.

Her scar began to throb again, and Selena moaned uncomfortably. She rubbed her hand over the scar to nurse the pain…

…Then she heard a low growl nearby.

It sounded like Cell. Selena froze and looked around. She didn't see him. She turned her head up to the ceiling, and was relieved that he wasn't there either. Gripping her staff in both hands, she carefully walked around upstairs. Her steps creaked and squeaked on the rotting wood, slightly giving away her position.

She heard the growl again, a little closer, and her head snapped in the direction of a closed door. Aiming her staff with one hand, she opened the door with her other hand. It was a linen closet shelved with blankets, old clothes, pillowcases, towels and the like. It was so small; Selena wouldn't be able to fit in it, let alone Cell. She closed the door tightly; knowing Cell wouldn't choose that place for a hiding spot. She turned her head down to a hall with three more doors. Another low growl was heard. It was coming from that hall and one of those three doors.

__

I feel like I'm in a freaking game show… She moaned in her head. _"Which will it be, little lady? Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?" "Monty, I'll take the curtain." Oh, brother…_

Taking in a deep breath, she inched closer to the hall, keeping an eye on the door closest to her. He could be hiding behind there, and if he was and she went too far down the hall then she would be trapped. She turned her eyes to the ceiling, and saw a latch door that led into the attic. It was closed. He could be hiding up there, listening to her footsteps. She pressed her back against the wall of the hall, and stared harshly at the latch door. Then she turned her attention to the closest door to her. He could be in there too. He could be anywhere…

She held her staff in one hand and inched slowly and silently to the closest door. She closed her hand over the handle, and swung the door open. It was a walk-in closet. Nothing was in it, not even cobwebs. She sighed, and kept the door open. She turned her attention to the latch door above her, and carefully stood on her toes to reach for the handle. She swiftly tugged the door down, and a wood ladder shot from the other side of the door and smacked Selena in the forehead. She fell over in pain.

"Ow!" she yelled on instinct. "Son of a frikken bitch!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Selena bolted to a sit. She heard Cell laughing, but she couldn't tell where he was. She looked into what she could see of the attic, but she didn't see Cell. She looked back at the closet, and saw nothing in there.

Well, now that the prime suspects were out of the way…time to try the other two doors. She stood up, picked up her staff, and headed for the next door. She opened it quickly…and found only a guest bedroom. Cell was nowhere to be found. She turned her attention to the last door. The one furthest down the hall. Selena slyly smiled.

__

Got ya cornered, fly boy.

She quietly tiptoed to the door, slightly powering up her staff for a ki attack. Her hand closed over the doorknob, and sweat pored from the pit of her arm down to her wrist. She felt sweat crawl over her eyebrows and her temples. She was nervous…

She took in another deep breath and gnashed her teeth behind her lips to encourage her bravery. She turned the knob and flung open the door. It was a stinky, roach infested bathroom. The window was God-thankfully open, revealing one attached end of a long clothesline. Cell was nowhere to be seen. Selena sighed in relief and leaned against the doorway. She was relieved she didn't find him. She had to smile, feeling slightly safe. 

Then again…if he wasn't in the hallway…then…where…

__

Creak…creak…creak…

Selena gasped and turned her eyes to the ceiling. 

Footsteps…in the attic…

She forgot to go in the attic and look…

__

Creak…creak…

Cr-Creak…

They stopped right on top of her. Selena turned her head up, and there was silence. Selena breathed in and out silently. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't believe how stupid she was…

She wasted no time. She pointed her staff up to the ceiling above her, powering up her attack. Her jewel flashed brilliantly as she powered up.

"Tamashii no Ya!" she shouted, and the blast of energy blew the ceiling apart. Cell fell from the collapsing attic floor, and landed just behind her. Selena turned to him and quickly powered up another attack. He quickly launched himself at her, grabbing her staff and pointing it back up the ceiling. Her second ki blast shot through the roof instead of Cell. "Dammit!" she shouted…

…Just before Cell punched her in the face and out the bathroom window…

^

Selena was flung out of the building, and slammed into the wall of the building on the opposite side of the street. Just before she could plummet to her death, she grabbed a hold of the clothesline, and held on for dear life while she slid her staff back in her shieth. Krillin and Sakura called up to her in worry. 

"Selena-san!" Sakura called up in fear. 

"Selena! Hold on!" Krillin called, about to fly up to her. Just before he could raise himself two feet off the ground, Cell climbed out of the hole that was once the window, and turned his head in the bald monk's direction. Krillin froze, and floated back down to the ground. Cell smiled at him, and turned his head to Selena. 

Selena hung onto the rather thick clothesline with two hands. She stared up at Cell, on the opposite end of the rope. Cell smiled at her with a low, pleased growl, and carefully set one foot on the clothesline. Selena gasped before snarling at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him. "You'll snap the line, you idiot!" Ignoring her, Cell put his other foot on the line, and stood well balanced on the rope. The line became taunt, straight enough to carefully step on. Selena blinked at Cell. The rope was about two fingers thick, he should have broke it easily with one foot. How could he stand on the line, as heavy as he must have been, and not snap the rope? Cell confidently crossed his arms, and his smile became a grin.

"Why don't you join me?" he invited. "If you can use some of your ki, you can hover on the rope and not put your full weight on it." Selena blinked at him again. So that's what he was doing! It was almost like flying. She could hover, no problem. She'd done that before. She closed her eyes and concentrated, letting a small amount of ki hold her in place in the air. She pulled herself up on the line, and slowly put her feet one the rope. She wobbled a bit, trying to get her balance by holding her arms out to her sides. When she did finally get her balance on the rope, she turned her shoulder to Cell, standing sideways, and held out her hands in a defensive position. Cell smiled at her.

"This should be interesting." He said to no one in particular.

^

Selena inched her way to the center of the line while Cell calmly walked across it to her. Both stopped about a couple feet from each other, and paused. Cell flexed his hands, and quickly swiped at Selena's face. Selena backed away, but almost lost her balance. She quickly righted herself and flung a fist at Cell, striking him square in the face. He didn't react, because he didn't feel anything. Selena quickly threw several more hard punches at his face and chest, striking harder and harder with each punch. Cell frowned at her.

"Don't be so nervous." He advised, grabbing one of her fists. She tried to pull it away, but his grip was very strong. He smiled at her, building up a little ki. "You'd fight better if you could…" Suddenly, he flung her a short distance into the air, "…RELAX!"

"Selena!" Krillin called, finally flying up to her. Another glance from Cell made Krillin decide to stay on the ground and protect Sakura. Selena caught another clothesline and hung by it. She clung to it as Cell stood on it, perfectly balanced, and making the rope taunt enough to step on. Selena glared at the monster as he chuckled at her.

"Dance on my highwire, small one." Cell dared. "Or else, I've put another life on the line."

"Damn…" Selena muttered, pulling herself up the clothesline. "…not only does he kill people and is super strong, but he makes really bad puns!" She stood on the line, using some of her ki to help her keep her balance. She unsheathed her ki staff, and held it out to give her extra balance. She gave Cell a ready face, and he lunged for her. He flung a kick at her face, but she blocked it with her staff, and lifted the jewel end of her staff to smash it in his face. She succeeded, and he growled while holding his face in pain. She kicked him three times with one leg, once in the face, once in the groin, and one more square in the gut. He doubled backward, and almost fell off the line. He fanned out his wings and gained more balance.

"Why you little…" Cell snarled as Selena quickly put the staff away and flexed her hands protectively outward. He rushed to her, hovering over the rope, and flung several hard punches at her. She held the back of her arms out to him, blocking his punches. They hurt a lot, but Selena tried not to show her pain. She shuffled quickly on the rope, almost loosing her footing, but a quick burst of ki helped to keep her aloft. Cell flung one more punch at her, aiming for her face.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Selena screamed out a ki-ay, powering up her aura to it's fullest. Cell's fist stopped inches from Selena's nose, and froze. He began to shiver all over. Something was wrong, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He couldn't bring himself to even touch her all the sudden. He drew his hand away, and shuffled away one step. Something about that aura made him feel uneasy. Selena smirked at him and took one step towards him.

"What's wrong, fly boy?" she chuckled. "Are you afraid?" Cell frowned for half a second with a "hmph."

" 'Fly boy?' That's a new one." he commented.

"You didn't answer my question." Selena pressed. "Are you afraid?"

"Of what? You? Don't be ridiculous! You're just a little girl who went too far over her head, who decided to barge into a mess she couldn't clean up. You're nothing compared to me! Why should I be afraid of you?!"

"You're right." Selena nodded, dramatically replacing a stray hair behind her ear. "It's not me you're afraid of…it's the power of a guardian!" She lunged for him and touched his chest with her flat palm. Cell was instantly repelled from her hand, and was flung off the line with a yelp of surprise. He quickly fanned his wings out and hovered in the air. Selena dove for him, foot first, and she kicked him in the face. Cell dropped to the ground like a rock, and Selena dove after him. The android crashed into the street, creating a crater in the cement street. He saw Selena quickly approaching him, and he rocketed back up into the air. Selena quickly planted her feet on the street next to the crater and jumped up after him. Cell decided to perch on another clothesline, and Selena landed on a line opposite of him. 

Selena quickly unsheathed her staff and powered up an attack. Cell jumped backward, flipped once, and landed on a farther away clothesline. Selena lunged after him, almost flying through the air. She flung a Spirit Arrow at him, and he knocked it away with one hand. He prepared to punch her with his free hand, and she pulled her body to a stop just within his reach. His punch landed on her face, but he was suddenly flung away from her and further down the street. Selena followed him, hopping on clotheslines for support. 

Krillin and Sakura followed them as fast as they could.

"What's going on?" Sakura wondered as she ran by Krillin. "Is Selena winning?"

"I think she is!" Krillin called happily. "I don't know exactly how she's doing it, but I think she's beating him! I think Selena is the solution to all our problems now! If she can beat Cell, then this world is saved!"

^

__

I don't understand… Cell was practically beating himself up to figure out why he was suddenly on the losing side of the battle. _What is this power she has? Why am I so afraid of it? Why is it I'm knocked off my feet whenever she powers up?! She isn't that strong! I should be winning! I am the perfect warrior and she is some weakling human! I should be snapping her like a twig!_

Wait a moment…

Cell thought of something as he landed on another clothesline. He watched Selena hop after him on surrounding clotheslines to him. He quickly thought back to a few seconds before.

__

I kept being repelled from her when the two of us came in contact with each other. It didn't matter whether she touched me or if I touched her, I was flung away like a rag doll. 

In that case…

…I must not touch her!

Selena lunged for Cell with an open hand. Cell jumped into the air and out of her way. He quickly pressed his wrists together, concentrating an attack to fling the girl away from him further.

"Kaaaaa…meeeee…"

"There he goes again…" Selena bit her lip, and powering up her Spirit Arrow from her staff.

"…haaaaaaaa…"

"Oh no!" Krillin panicked as Selena hid behind him.

"…meeeeeee…"

"Selena-san!" Sakura called up to her guardian friend. "Look out!"

"Way ahead of you, Sakura-chan." Selena grinned as the jewel end of her staff began to glow brightly. "TAMASHII NO YA!"

"…HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Both ki attacks collided into each other, and the struggle for the strongest wave began. Selena kept her aura bright and strong, evening out her ki blast. Cell eased up a bit, smiling. In the flashing light, Selena thought she saw Cell lick his lips hungrily.

"Too bad, kid!" he called to her. "You luck has run out!" Suddenly, his yellow aura began to bleed red and his mussels bulged. "KAIOKEN!"

"OH CRAP!" Krillin yelled. "HIT THE DIRT!" He plunged himself and Sakura to the street where they covered their heads, the only protection they had. Cell's Kamehameha gained incredible strength, and zapped away Selena's attack. She screamed as Cell's attack plowed into her and sent her flying. Weakened, and powered out, her aura faded as she was flung throughout the air.

Cell cackled as he flew after her, his aura buzzing along with the wind under his wings. He flung the hardest punch he could gather on Selena's face, sending her tumbling downward and crashing into the street. Cell dove after her, landing on his feet and picking her up. Krillin and Sakura ran for Selena, praying that she wasn't dead.

"SELENA-SAN!" Sakura panicked, screaming at the top of her lungs. Cell held Selena by the color of her shirt, where she hung limp but alive. She opened her eyes, and found herself in front of Cell's smiling face. She sighed, and her limp hand dropped the staff where it clunked noisily on the street. Cell chuckled.

"My, my…that was a good fight. Very well done, and very interesting, Selena." He congratulated. "I'm looking forward to more games like that in the future, my dear."

"Games?" Selena moaned. 

"Mm-hm." Cell nodded. "You're a very fun playmate, did you know that?"

"Oh, just shut up and kill me…" Selena sighed. 

"Why do you keep asking me to do that?" Cell wondered, tilting his head to the side. "Do you want to die?"

"No." Selena shivered. "You kill everyone else…but not me. Why am I the only survivor? Why do you let me live, Cell? Tell me!"

"Put her down!" Krillin commanded Cell, powering up a Kienzan in one hand. Cell turned his head to Krillin, unconcerned. Krillin shivered a little, but kept his serious look on his face. Cell "hmph"ed at him, and turned back to Selena.

"So, you want to know, do you?" he said to her. "Alright, I'll tell you. I find you interesting, Selena. You must be the most fascinating person I have ever met. I want to know everything about you. Everything there possibly is to know."

"Is that all?" Selena did her best to snarl in pain. Her arm was killing her, the scars were swelling like they were going to pop open. "You can just ask me, you know?"

Cell had to laugh.

"There are some things about a person, my dear, that you just don't ask. You have to find them out for yourself. You understand?"

"Stop calling me 'dear!'" Selena screamed, slamming a punch in Cell's face. It didn't hurt him, so he smiled and dropped her back on the street, where she collapsed.

"I'm looking foreword to a lot of games with you, Selena." Cell said softly to her as she lifted her head. "And you're going to play, whether you like it or not."

"What if I don't want to play?" she spat at him.

"You have no choice." Cell shook his head. "So, until next time…"

He tapped her nose lightly.

"…Tag. You're It." With that, he stood up, took a running start, and flew off into the air.

"Get back here, you coward!" Krillin shouted at Cell, throwing the Kienzan at the monster. The deadly disk sliced through many of the clotheslines, raining down loads of drying laundry as it chased after Cell. Cell turned around, and flung a Kienzan of his own at Krillin's attack, canceling out both ki blasts with an explosion of light and smoke. 

Selena struggled to stand up, using her staff for support. Krillin and Sakura rushed to her aide.

"Selena-san!" Sakura cried, hugging Selena's leg.

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked the girl as she stood herself up. Selena leaned on her staff, staring at the spot where Cell was last seen flying in the air. Her scar seemed to lessen in pain until she felt nothing at all. She looked at her scar, which seemed fine, then back at the empty sky.

"So, you wanna play, Cell?" she snarled at the long gone monster. "Then let the games begin!"

****

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS!!**

I found a song that seemed to fit Unholy Crusade perfectly! It is none other than "Halloween" by Aqua. Yes, it's a little late for the occasion, but the song really fits. Here's the lyrics! Enjoy!

****

(Phone rings. Selena answers.)

Selena: Hello?

****

Cell: Remember me?

****

Selena: Who's there?

****

Cell: I got yo numba!

****

Selena: **frightened** Oh no! No!

****

Cell: I'm back…to haunt you!

****

Selena: No! No, stay away!

****

Cell: **evil laugh**

****

(Techno music kicks up, and the song beings.)

Selena: It's Friday night,

So creepy outside

It's thundering and lightning

There's nobody home

Cause I'm all alone

It's scary and it's frightening

The sound of shoes

A shadow that moves

Something odd is "tick tack ticking…"

There's someone in here,

I'm so full of fear

The telephone is ringing!

****

Cell: Now I can see you…

****

Selena: Oh no, please no…

****

Cell: Now I can touch you…

****

Selena: Oh God, please no…

****

Cell: I'm right here now…

****

Selena: Oh please, tell me where!

****

Cell: **laughs**

****

Selena: I'm in a nightmare!

****

Cell: You better run…I'm back to hunt you down!

****

Selena: (chorus) Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

****

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

****

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

****

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

****

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

****

Selena: Hell broke out, 

This Friday night

Zombies passing deadly

My Candyman

From Bounty Land

Is coming here to get me!

****

Cell: Now I can see you…

****

Selena: Oh no, please no…

****

Cell: Now I can touch you…

****

Selena: Oh God, please no…

****

Cell: I'm right here now…

****

Selena: Oh please, tell me where!

****

Cell: **laughs**

****

Selena: I'm in a nightmare!

****

Cell: You better run…I'm back to hunt you down!

****

Selena: (chorus) Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

****

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

****

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

****

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

****

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

****

Cell: **talking** Shrieking and creaking…I move silent in the night **laughs**

Could be the boy from next door? You'll never guess my disguise! **laughs**

Kids and children fight, pumpkin and candlelight…

You might be the fearsome one at Junior High…TONIGHT!

****

Selena: Halloween!

In the death of the night, hear my scream!

****

Cell: I'm comin! I'm comin!

****

Selena: Halloween!

It's the fear that I fight in my dream!

****

Cell: Keep runnin! Keep runnin!

****

Background Singers: Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running! Just keep running, oh keep on running, yeah, just keep running!

****

Selena: **screams**

****

(End of song.)

I'm planning to bring back the character dress ups soon, because I'm getting lots of ideas for them! Keep checking for new chapters of Unholy Crusade!

Happy late Halloween!


	7. These Three Vagabonds

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 7: These Three Vagabonds

Last chapter…

__

"I'm looking foreword to a lot of games with you, Selena." Cell said softly to her as she lifted her head. "And you're going to play, whether you like it or not."

"What if I don't want to play?" she spat at him.

"You have no choice." Cell shook his head. "So, until next time…"

He tapped her nose lightly.

"…Tag. You're It." With that, he stood up, took a running start, and flew off into the air.

"Get back here, you coward!" Krillin shouted at Cell, throwing the Kienzan at the monster. The deadly disk sliced through many of the clotheslines, raining down loads of drying laundry as it chased after Cell. Cell turned around, and flung a Kienzan of his own at Krillin's attack, canceling out both ki blasts with an explosion of light and smoke. 

Selena struggled to stand up, using her staff for support. Krillin and Sakura rushed to her aide.

"Selena-san!" Sakura cried, hugging Selena's leg.

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked the girl as she stood herself up. Selena leaned on her staff, staring at the spot where Cell was last seen flying in the air. Her scar seemed to lessen in pain until she felt nothing at all. She looked at her scar, which seemed fine, then back at the empty sky.

"So, you wanna play, Cell?" she snarled at the long gone monster. "Then let the games begin!"

^

For the next two days, Selena, Krillin, and Sakura traveled north heading for the Sacred City. Selena never doubted Piccolo's words about Cell following them to the city, but she was confident as soon as they reached there, Cell would stay as far away from them as possible. Selena wasn't just going to the city for shelter from the monster; she was going there to get her hands on the weapon that would kill him.

For two days, they traveled on swoop, staying away from towns and cities the best they could. Unfortunately, Cell made stops there to feed on the people. Selena felt helpless, wanting to do what she could, but Krillin kept talking her into staying away from Cell and continuing to the Sacred City. Selena agreed. After all, once she gathered the weapon into her possession, Cell would pay for his crimes.

^

"There we go!" Selena cried happily, driving along a clifside. Past the long drop and in the fantastic view were three huge mountains frosted in snow. "Past those mountains are the Irish territories…and the Sacred City. We're almost there, guys!"

"Yay!" Sakura celebrated in her seatbelt. Krillin, sitting along the very back and securing himself with his hands, stared in awe at the mountains. 

"Whoa…" he gasped. "…you forget how big they are when you fly over them." Selena had to smile.

"I wish I could agree." She sighed in futility. "Hey Krillin, I've been meaning to ask you for a while…"

"Yeah?" Krillin wondered, turning to look at her. All he could see was the back of her head from where he sat, but she looked over her shoulder so that he could see half of her face.

__

What would she want to ask me? Krillin wondered curiously. _I mean, it seems like ages since a girl even wanted to talk to me about something…I hope it's not something like a…a…date?!_

"I was wondering…" Selena began, then paused to try to find better words for her request. Krillin started blushing an insane color red. 

"Yeah?" Krillin started squeaking.

__

I know it's been at least three years since a girl asked me on a date…yeah, that was Maron…but Selena's different. She's not the kind of girl who'd ask me on a date. She can fight with the best of them, and could probably give Piccolo the beating of his life. And me…I'm a joke compared to her…

…

I think I have a crush on her…

I hope to God she asks me to go on a date or something like that!

Please, God! Please!

"Do you think you could…" Selena tried to ask. 

"I…could…what?" Krillin nervously rushed. Selena sighed, and put her question bluntly.

"Could you give me flying lessons sometime?"

Krillin blinked a few times.

"Flying lessons?"

"Yeah. You and the others know how to fly, and even Cell can fly. If it's one advantage I don't want him to have, it's the flying ability. I could win a fight more easily if I could fly along side him. Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Sure!" Krillin chirped. "You've got the ki level, and you know how to hover. It's a cinch!"

"Thanks." Selena smiled. "You're a pal, Krillin."

"Yep!" Krillin nervously chuckled as his natural color returned to his face.

__

God damn it!

^

Sunset replaced the blue summer sky rather quickly. Selena quickly glanced at her watch. The time was 4:28. Late afternoon was creeping in, but the temperature didn't think so. She was sweating bullets, and constantly took one hand off the swoop handlebars to wipe her forehead dry. Sakura didn't necessarily complain about the heat, since she was sucking away a water bottle Krillin took out of Selena's capsule case. Krillin kept cool with the wind the swoop got by going so fast. Poor Selena couldn't have that convenience.

They had long since left the clifside and were heading to the mountains through a large redwood forest. Huge tree trunks with enough space to be houses enclosed them completely, and the air smelled of pine and a few stray skunks. The canopy several meters up above trapped heat into the forest floor, making Selena feel rather miserable. She felt like stopping and diving into a nearby lake or river. She just couldn't take it.

Suddenly, the scar on her arm throbbed, and she yelped. It was sudden, like someone had jabbed a knife into her arm.

"Ow!" She cried, suddenly swerving her swoop to a stop. Sakura screamed at the sudden braking, while Krillin lost his grip and fell to the forest floor. The swoop skidded on its repulsers, and stopped sideways on the path. Selena held her arm as though a tight grip would make the pain go away. Krillin quickly got up and ran to the stopped swoop.

"You okay, Selena?" he asked. 

"It's my arm again…" she groaned. "It's been two days since it last acted up…so why now? I thought it healed over…"

Then, a male scream was heard not too far away. Everyone turned their heads in that direction. Selena narrowed her eyebrows and unstrapped the seatbelt off of her.

"What was that?" Sakura wondered nervously.

"I have a hunch…" Selena mumbled. "And I also have a little theory about this scar…"

"What theory?" Krillin wondered.

^

Eugene didn't want any trouble. He had actually moved away from the Spice County to get away from the Nickey Town monster, and it seemed to have found them. Eugene watched from behind a cart at the monster. It was attacking his fellow caravan mates, and none of them were able to get away. One of them had been stabbed in the hip with its sharp tail and seemed to be melting away with a loud slurping sound. Another man was begging for mercy as the monster held his wrist behind his back. Eugene's sister was pinned to the ground by one of the monster's feet. There was nothing he could do for them, except abandon them to the monster in hopes that they cured its appetite.

The monster was huge, probably seven feet tall, and looked like a hideous cross between a man, a lizard, and a beetle. It had to be the most disgusting sight Eugene had ever seen. He just couldn't believe that monster was the thing was the cause of over 100,000 mysterious deaths. Now, all the answers to those "mysterious deaths" were unfolding before his eyes. The monster had first taken the horses that drove the carts, and then went after the caravan. Only one or two got away, but everyone else was either killed by the monster, trapped in the monster's grasp, or hiding like he was in hopes of never being discovered.

"Pssst! Gin!"

Eugene turned his head to the other side of the cart to see his best friend hunkered underneath the house-like wagon. Derak was a fellow gypsy and Eugene had known him since he was two years old. Derak was laying on his stomach, and held his head very low to the ground so that the bandana would camouflage his face.

"Derak?" Eugene whispered back. "What the hell do you think you're doing? It'll see you?"

"I'm saving your sis." Derak whispered back, taking out a pistol. "We ain't leaving until we've got her." Although Eugene didn't like his sister very much, not even she deserved to be killed this way. He nodded at Derak.

"And how do you think we're gonna get her? She's way over there. Even if you kill the thing, I ain't going near it."

"Fine, chicken. You take off, and I'll save your sis. Okay?"

"What if he hears me?"

"I'll cover for ya. If you wanna get going, then get going, and do it now while it's busy." 

Eugene grabbed the dirt at his side. He was reluctant to just get up and start running. He saw how fast that thing could run. But then again, hesitation was never a healthy thing. Eugene quickly jumped to his feet, and started running. Derak eyed the monster to see what it did. It did hear Eugene running away! It turned its head to him as his current victim had been reduced to a pile of clothes. Derak took that distracted chance to aim at the monster and fire his pistol. The bullet hit its wrist tendons, and its mussels quickly reacted, forcing the thing to let go of its second victim. 

Then it stared right at him, then raised one hand at the cart Derak was hiding under. A shot of light bursted from his hand, and the cart tumbled over, revealing the hiding sniper. Derak sprang to his feet, and pointed his pistol at the monster's face.

"Let her go!" he shouted bravely at the creature. "Take me instead!"

The monster hesitated…

…then it smiled and seemed to laugh softly…

…it took its foot off Eugene's sister, and she scrambled to safety. The monster kept its gaze on Derak as it suddenly stabbed its tail into the girl and sucked her away into a pile of clothes. 

"NOOOOOOO!" Derak cried, firing his remaining bullets at the creature. The small specks of lead bounced harmlessly off its body, causing it to laugh a little louder. Soon, Derak's empty gun started to click in blanks. When the monster was finished with the girl, it began walking towards Derak. The gypsy stumbled back a few steps, looking down to his bullet pouch at his waist. Taking his eyes off the creature was a big mistake…

The monster burst into a run for Derak…

^

…then Selena pounded her foot into Cell's face, sending the monster flying from the man. She landed beside the would-be victim, and quickly glanced at him. He was a rather young man, in his early twenties, with ebony skin and bright colored clothes. A bandana of swirling purples and reds covered his short hair. He looked like a storybook gypsy. She glared at him.

"Get out of here." She sharply ordered. "Go join your friend down there. Now!"

The man nodded nervously, his eyes wide in fear. He quickly got on the ball of his foot and ran as Cell pushed himself up to his feet.

"Now look at what you did," Cell purred playfully at Selena, "you made me lose my lunch."

"You'll lose a whole lot more than that once I'm done with you." Selena growled, unsheathing her staff. Cell crouched down slightly, preparing for an attack.

"I doubt that." He smiled. "There's a little something about me that you don't know yet."

"Mind enlightening me?" Selena challenged. Cell nodded at her.

"Every time I feed on humans, my strength grows depending on the mass of people I manage to catch. Have you noticed that each time we've fought that I have managed to become slightly stronger and more skilled?"

Selena blinked a few times. This was true! But then again, he always seemed to be stronger than her.

__

Get a hold of yourself, girl! You're smarter than he is and that's what matters!

"So what?" Selena snarled at him. "Once you're dead, that won't matter!"

Cell had to laugh at that.

"What's so funny?!" Selena wondered, a little peeved. 

"You." Cell answered, snipping his laugh to a light chuckle. "You and your big words." Suddenly, he lunged for her, noticing her off guard. His knee made contact with her stomach, taking the breath out of her and sent her flying into a cart. It exploded on her contact, and Selena fell onto the forest floor covered in broken wood planks. She tried to quickly stand up, but she couldn't even breathe. 

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH…

Cell walked towards her.

"We could continue this…" he said to her, "…but there are a couple of survivors I need to track down. Take the two you saved, they don't mean anything to me." Selena managed to poke her head out of the wood, and stared up at Cell. He stopped walking next to her, one of his toes was almost touching her ear. 

"You know I won't let you do this to more people…" she growled at him.

"I know." He grinned. "But what can you do about it?" Then, he stomped on her stomach hard, making her cry out in pain and loss of more air. Leaving Selena immobilized momentarily, Cell took his head start in the opposite direction she had come from, looking for the escaping gypsies. Selena crawled out of the pile of splintered wood with only her hands, gasping for air. She breathed in and out several times before passing out on the ground. 

The pain in her scar slowly faded away until there was nothing to feel…

^

__

Selena began to run…

Everything seemed so slow…

Her foot touched the water like it was solid ground…

She began to run across the water, slightly disturbing the stillness of the lake with slow ripples…

She looked down at her feet and stopped running…

The water rippled out from her feet, warping her reflection in the lake…

She looked at the reflection…

Something was odd about it…

As the ripples began to calm, the reflection became clear…

The reflection was not Selena…

It was Cell…

Selena's heart filled with fear…

Her face paled…

Her eyes widened…

Her breath was stolen away…

The reflection did not move…

"No!" she cried, putting her hands to the side of her head…

The reflection put his hands to the side of his head…

"No! This isn't right!" she screamed. "Go away!"…

She kicked the surface of the lake with all her might…

The water suddenly burst into strange, sickly yellow flames…

Selena fell into the flames, feeling no pain…

From the flickering fires, human hands, arms, and the faces of skulls appeared…

The skulls were screaming in horror and pain…

The hands grabbed for Selena…

The arms tried to pin her in one place…

Selena tried to struggle out of them, trying to reach the other side of the lake…

The hands scratched her…

The arms pummeled her with lariats…

The skulls tried to bite her…

She swam through the fire as though it was water…

It all felt like strong gravity trying to drag her down into the yellow flames…

Almost to the other side…

"Sakura!" Selena yelled, reaching out her hand…

The tiny hand seemed so far away, yet was so very close…

Selena jumped foreword to grab the hand…

"Sakura!"…

Many hands grabbed her and hoisted her in the air…

Hands from the fire…

Selena was plunged into the flames…

She was dragged down, down, down…

She fell into clawing, biting, yellow emptiness…

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"…

All was black…

She could feel herself moving down…

Into the black…

She wasn't falling…

She was being dragged down…

Her hair flowed around her face as though she was underwater…

"Sakura…I have failed you…

I'm sorry…"

****

Selena?

A voice was calling out to her…

It was loud, and very clear…

And all around.

Selena opened her eyes and saw nothing but black…

"Who's there?" she called…

****

You have failed no one, Selena.

The voice came from everywhere around her…

The voice was the black…

"What do you mean?"

****

You have failed nothing…

You are still young and have much to learn…

You are a great and powerful guardian…

Look inside yourself and see the light, not the darkness…

"Who are you?" Selena called into the black…

There was no response…

"Hello?"…

The black did not respond…

"Come back!"…

She continued to be pulled further and further into the darkness…

She couldn't take it anymore…

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

^

Selena slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her dream. She felt herself being moved as though two people were towing her by the hands and legs. She picked her head up to look around, and surprise surprise…

"Hey!" she outbursted at the two men carrying her. "Put me down!" The man carrying her arms yelped and let go, causing Selena's head to hit the ground hard.

"Eugene!" the man holding Selena's feet scolded. He looked down at Selena and smiled. "Are you alright, stranger?"

"Oh man…" Selena moaned, propping herself up on her elbows and rubbing the back of her head. The man carrying her by the legs set them down and helped push Selena to her feet. He was the man Selena saved from Cell. The other man was someone she didn't recognize, but judging by the style of his clothes she figured he was with the other man's caravan. "Who are you guys? Where did you come from?"

"My name is Derak." The man who helped her introduced, then he pointed to the unfamiliar. "That's Eugene. Thank you for rescuing us. He ran away in time, but I thought I was a dead man for sure." Selena looked at Eugene. His hair color could only be described as sandy. It looked like the color of wet, firm sand. His skin was tanned to a light brown, and his bright blue eyes shone like the clear shores of the sea. She figured that was where he was from, close to a seashore or a tropic island. Derak seemed more African than his friend did.

"I'm Selena." She smiled. Derak politely took her hand and kissed her on the knuckles. She made a flat face. Men who did that annoyed her. She instantly yanked her hand away. "Charmed, I'm sure." She almost snapped with a sharp nod of her head. "Now where'd you come from?"

"We were just leaving the Spice county area." Eugene said, looking at Selena's face. "We were trying to get away from the monster, but he found us."

"Everyone in our tribe is dead." Derak sadly reported. "And we have no way to get anywhere except to walk."

"That sucks." Selena pitied. "I wish there was something I could do." Then she suddenly remembered Krillin and Sakura. "Hey, have you seen a short, bald man and a little girl around here somewhere?"

"They're just up ahead." Eugene nodded, pointing up the trail. "They were going to come for you, but we insisted."

"Thanks." Selena nodded, running up the trail.

"Hey wait!" Derak called, running after her. Eugene took point behind him. Selena didn't stop running until she came to a clearing in the forest. Sitting beside one of the huge redwood trees was Krillin, and sleeping in his lap was Sakura. Selena ran to them.

"Krillin!" she called frantically. "Sakura!"

"Hey Selena!" Krillin called back happily. "You're back! Are you okay?"

"I've got a bit of a stomach cramp." She admitted, rubbing the spot where Cell had stepped on her. "What about you? Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah." Krillin nodded as Sakura stirred awake. "Those guys said you saved them from Cell…"

"Just one of them." She admitted. "I don't remember the other guy." She turned to them as they walked up to her. She smiled. "How does that old song go? 'Gypsies, tramps and thieves?' "

"Just gypsies, thank you." Eugene snapped. "We don't steal anything."

"Well, since you guys don't have a caravan left to travel with…where are you headed?"

"No where specific," Derak shook his head, "as long as we stay away from that monster."

"You might want to come with us." Selena offered. "I can protect you from that thing. I can fight it."

"Really?" Derak blinked in surprise.

"Shouldn't be the other way around?" Eugene scoffed. Selena made a flat face at him.

"Oh sure." She said dryly. "My hero. Save me from the boogey man from Nickey Town. Yeah right. I don't need anyone's protection."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"You aren't giving me a reason to, Eugene."

"Eugene, please." Derak said gently to his friend. "We do need help, and supplies, and a way to get to the nearest town."

"…" Eugene crossed his arms and turned his head away from Selena. She couldn't help but smile. She was only rude to those who were rude to her first. She thought of it as fighting fire with fire.

"Well, sure you can come with us." She invited. "Do either of you boys know how to drive a swoop?"

"A what?" Both Eugene and Derak asked.

"It's a motorcycle with no wheels." She explained, taking out the proper capsule and clicking the catch. "Check it out." She tossed it at a proper distance, and in a big cloud of smoke her swoop appeared. She grinned as Derak and Eugene marveled over it. "I've got another one that will fit both of you boys. Can you drive one?"

"Sure." Eugene answered happily. "I've driven motorcycles before. This should be easy."

Selena nodded in assurance.

"Eugene and Derak right? Welcome aboard, boys."

^

Selena drove her own swoop while Eugene and Derak rode in the borrowed swoop just behind her. They zipped down the forest trail, past hundreds to thousands of giant redwood trees. The sun was dipping down faster past the hills and the opposite end of the sky was turning blue and small stars started to twinkle into existence. Night was coming. Selena wasn't sure where the nearest town was, but she was hoping to drop Eugene and Derak there as soon as she could. Also, she needed a cold drink to cool her down from the growing heat. The coming night wasn't cooling down the air like it should.

Soon, it became too dark and hot to travel by. Selena was forced to stop driving and to find a place to set camp for the night. Eugene and Derak agreed. Selena took two capsules out and popped them open to reveal camping tents. She popped open a few more capsules to break out the camping equipment. Selena proposed that the boys slept in one tent and the girls slept in another tent. Eugene tried to suggest that everyone sleep in one tent so that they could protect each other. He dropped the idea when Selena shot him a very insulted look.

Shortly afterward, everyone retired to their tents and went to sleep. Everyone was sweating under their blankets and sleeping bags and staining their pillows with wet, smelly drops of sweat. Selena had trouble getting to sleep because of the heat. She was forced to sleep in the nude and to occasionally take drinks from a water bottle she opened up. Finally, she did get to sleep, but precious sleep came gradually. It took a long time for her to finally nod off and breathe slowly in her sleep.

^

Cell had watched them pitch camp from a high spot in the branches of a redwood. He watched the five travelers turn in for the night and waited patiently until one in the morning when he was sure all five of them were asleep. It was still very dark, he didn't mind the heat at all, and the forest was rather quiet. The slight, split-second screeches of bats were occasional but not frequent, and there was a surprising absence of crickets and cicadas. It was the perfect time for him to make his move.

He crawled down the massive trunk on all fours like a jungle cat until he touched the ground. He carefully and quietly stood up, trying not to make any noise with his feet. Walking on the ends of his toes, he crept to Selena's tent. When he was close enough, he once again lowered himself down on all fours and carefully poked his head past the tent flaps.

He could see two sleeping bags in the darkness, and the one with the larger body had to be the one with Selena in it. He smiled, and invited himself in the tent still on his hands and feet. He cautiously stepped around Selena's sleeping bag until he was practically straddling it. He looked down at her face. She was laying sideways, her hair tied into a tight braid, and her forehead was glistening in sweat. One arm was under the pillow, supporting her head. The other was folded across her chest gently. He could spot some bare skin across her shoulders and part of her chest.

__

Wearing nothing to bed? Oh my…

Cell couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew Selena was a bold one, but to be this bold…

He heard a sound nearby, and his eyes turned to the other sleeping bag. Something was shivering and whimpering underneath it. It was Sakura. She had woken up and saw Cell. The little girl must have been too scared or too smart to scream. Cell quietly growled, pleased. He carefully positioned his tail over the sleeping bag as Sakura started to peek from under the fabric of the sleeping bad.

__

Right through the throat, just so that she won't scream.

I can't have anything in my way right now…

…I just want Selena to myself tonight.

Just before he could thrust his tail into Sakura's covered body…

FHT-TUNK!

Something stabbed into Cell's neck. He groaned rather loudly in sudden pain, and his eyes turned to Selena. She was wide-awake, and had thrusted a blade of a pocketknife into Cell's neck.

__

She was hiding it under the pillow…

Perhaps she wasn't as unprepared as I had thought…

"Back it up." Selena roughly ordered, pushing the knife further into Cell's neck and sitting up. Cell was forced to move backward on his hands and knees as Selena stood up, and held a fold of her sleeping bag against her body to keep herself covered. However, she only managed to push Cell half way out the tent while keeping her nakedness covered. She couldn't go any further without exposing herself. When Cell refused to budge any other way, Selena sighed while muttering a nasty four-letter word. Dropping her sleeping bag, she forced Cell out of the tent in her birthday suit. 

Cell laughed as quietly as he could at the sight.

"I don't know what it is you lack, Lawless:" He chuckled as he was forced all the way out of the tent. "Brains or dignity. Maybe both."

" 'Lawless?' " Selena wondered as she and Cell stood up to their full heights. "I've never heard you use my last name before…"

"I think it's time I got started." Cell purred, grabbing Selena's hand and yanking the knife out of his neck. He was alright, it was just a minor cut to him, but Selena had stabbed him rather hard. It was likely his wound would bruise as it healed. "I'm most likely going to call you 'Lawless' when I'm mad at you."

"Like now?"

"Yes." Cell nodded. Selena tilted her head cutely to the side and put her hands on her hips.

"Aw, am I making you mad?"

"Hmph." Cell snorted, staring her in the eyes. "I'm just hoping you've learned your first lesson, Selena."

"First lesson?" Selena wrinkled her nose as if those words smelled bad. "Whadaya mean 'first lesson?' "

"It's just another game I'm playing." Cell shrugged. "I give you a test, and what you do determines if you pass or fail. Tonight, you failed, and therefore you have a lesson to learn."

"I'm guessing my first lesson is to always be prepared for the worse?" She held up her pocketknife, the edge dripping in some of Cell's purple blood. "Don't I at least get half credit?"

Cell laughed a little louder.

"You couldn't even come close to killing me with that ridiculous toy." He announced. "It will take so much more than that. You remember that, for future reference." He nodded at her a couple times, then started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Selena snarled, gripping her hands together into fists, ready to fight.

"My test is over, and the lesson has been learned." He looked over his shoulder, and grinned a very dirty grin at Selena. "And I was given a special bonus as well." 

Finally, Selena started blushing and her hands moved to cover her naked chest.

"You damned bastard!" she shouted at him as he ran off into the dark woods. "I can't believe you! You son of a bitch! You pervert! You'll pay for this, Cell!"

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Krillin wondered, lifting the flap to his tent, hearing the yelling. Selena panicked and began running to her tent.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Krillin yelled, quickly going back in the tent. He stood for a couple minutes, breathing in and out and calming down his quickly beating heart.

__

Did I just see what I thought I saw?

What was she doing out there naked?

"Krillin?" he heard Selena's voice next to the tent flap. He froze. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Krillin gulped, blushing.

"Forget what you saw out here tonight, okay?"

"No prob." Krillin nodded.

"Thanks. You're a pal." Then she headed back into the tent. Krillin breathed a sigh of relief and climbed back into his sleeping bad. Eugene and Derak slept like babies through the whole thing. 

__

What the hell just happened? Krillin wondered before he fell asleep.

^

Selena awoke the next morning to happily singing birds outside. She sat up in her sleeping bag, wearing her underwear. It wasn't very decent sleeping apparel, but it was better than being naked. Looking at the tent flap, she could see light bleeding in through the black fabric. She yawned and stretched, then began changing into some clothes. Sakura slept soundly in her bag, not hearing Selena move around. Selena then carefully stepped out of the tent after she had gotten fully dressed and looked around. Sunrise had faded away into a cheerful blue sky and the air was rather cool and smelled fresh. It was early morning. 

She turned her head to the boy's tent, and didn't hear anything going on inside. She wondered if they were still sleeping. Making a half-frowning face, she reached into her pants pocket for her capsule case and popped open a small battery powered stove and a box of instant pancake batter. She quickly started making and baking the instant breakfast, hoping that any pleasant aromas of human food didn't bring Cell back to the camp. She shivered about her encounter last night. He had almost caught her off guard. Anything less than her pocketknife wouldn't have driven him away at all. 

Then, she heard the snap of a twig nearby, and she bolted to her feet with a gasp. It came from the trail just on the opposite side of the clearing. She waited, clutching her fists defensively. Was it Cell?

No, it was Derak and Eugene, walking back into the clearing from wherever they had gone to. Selena relaxed.

"Good morning, miss Selena!" Derak greeted with a friendly wave. Eugene didn't say anything. He was carrying what looked like a purple cloth bundle in his hands. Selena narrowed her eyes at them.

"Where were you guys? Did you just go wandering off?"

"We had to get some supplies from what was left of the caravan." Eugene explained. Selena could see that both the men were wearing belts with gun holsters, both full with nasty looking shooters. Also, Derak had a high powered rifle strapped to his back. Selena's glare didn't falter.

"What if that monster found you? You wouldn't have been able to protect yourselves! If you guys don't wanna get eaten, then you have to stick by me, alright?"

"You sound like my mother!" Eugene laughed. "Here, Selena. This is a thank you for saving us from that beast." He unfolded the bundle in his hands to reveal a one-piece woman's outfit. It was royal purple, and had no sleeves along with very baggy leggings. It looked like a tubetop connected to Arabian silk pants. Hanging on one wrist was golden bands of jewelry like a neckband and wristbands, all made of pure gold. In one hand, he held two leather sandals that were about Selena's size. She marveled at them.

"They're beautiful." She commented. She walked up to the clothes, and Eugene handed them to her. "Can I put them on right now?"

"Sure." Eugene nodded.

"Also," Derak stopped, holding a toolbox resembling medical kit, "I noticed the scars on your arm, and I thought they might need to be bandaged."

"It's okay." Selena insisted. "They're not infected, and they don't hurt."

"You never know." Derak scolded, shaking a finger at her. "It doesn't hurt now, but if you don't take care of them then they will get infected." Selena sighed.

"Alright, alright…just let me get changed first…"

With that, she walked back into her tent.

^

Selena had a very comfortable fit in her new clothes and shoes. She snapped the accessory wristbands and neckband on tightly, and those were comfortable too. She also had a similar gold clasp for her hair, so she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail to wear it. She took a look at herself in the mirror, and smiled at what she saw. She looked really cute. She loved her new clothes. She had to thank Eugene later.

After everyone had woken up and ate, they went back to traveling on the road. Although there were no further encounters with Cell, Selena's scar ached occasionally under her cloth bandages that Derak set for her. She had a theory that when Cell was close to her the scars would swell. So it was like a natural Cell detector built into her arm. That was how she knew he had come to the camp last night; her scar woke her up. So, with her theory just about proven, she was sure that she could find Cell easily during her hunt.

But first…the Sacred City!

^

Cell didn't bother following them.

He was headed for the nearest town or village. There was suppost to be other people out here living in a tribal village. He wanted to find them and satisfy his appetite. Selena could wait, and he wouldn't stray too far from her path.

__

She's not out of this yet.

I'll be in the mood for another game as soon as I feed.

Beware, Selena…

Breathe easy all you like, but sooner or later…

I'll catch you off guard again!

Beware…

^

They traveled all day through the forest, stopping only to eat or for bathroom breaks. Selena's scar didn't hurt anymore, so she guessed Cell had lost them. She was concerned the bandage was blocking Cell's presence, and that was something she couldn't afford. She needed to know where Cell was in order to feel even remotely safe. During the trip, she was very nervous. It only benefited her into watching the road and keeping her concentration on her driving. No one seemed to notice her tension, and that was hell. How could she talk to them about last night? Or even these strange dreams she had…

Soon, they once again traveled until nightfall. At sunset, they were forced to stop and set up camp. After Selena prepared them a filling meal, Eugene once again suggested that everyone sleep under one tent for protection. After thinking about last night, Selena nodded her head in approval. She set up only one tent, and laid out the sleeping bags appropriately. Girls slept on one side of the tent, boys on the other side. Concerned about Cell, she decided to stay up on a night shift to be sure he didn't attack the camp while everyone was asleep. Eugene then offered to take the next shift, and it was settled.

The night was rather quiet to Selena. She sat by the campfire, watching it and making sure it didn't go out. The night was quiet and very hot. Sitting by the fire just made Selena wipe her sweaty forehead more and more. At least the gypsy clothes Eugene gave her were comfortable in the heat and didn't make her armpits sweat as bad. Her eyes constantly wandered to the forest trees around her, listening to the very quiet noises of the night: a few crickets, one hoot of a nearby owl, a far away coyote yipping into the starry sky. 

Selena pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her head on her knees. She was tired, but determined to stay awake. She looked into the campfire, watching it glow orange and yellow in the darkness, basking the surrounding woods in a faint orange light. She wiped her forehead one more time and sighed.

She began thinking about her dream for the first time. Why was it raining blood? How come she knew that lake from somewhere? And why was her reflection in the lake Cell? And who was that voice in the dragging darkness telling her to "see the light and not the dark?"

__

Some dreams aren't meant to be deciphered, I guess…

But then again, I've had the same dream every night. The only time it changed was yesterday…

Heh, papa was always big on the meaning of dreams…

He used to say dreams are messages to us, telling us about something…

The past, the present, or the future…maybe all three at once…

What would he have thought of my dream?

Selena used to decipher dreams herself when she was younger and once living with her father. He claimed it was an artform, or a family gift. It was his strong belief that dreams are meant to be told, either by mouth or written down on paper. Selena decided to do neither. Her dream was carefully noted in her head, event by event. She didn't know what exactly it meant…

…However, her reflection being Cell was scary.

__

Does it have a meaning?

What does my dream mean?

As she wondered, she fell asleep.

She didn't dream.

****

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS**

Selena: The character dress ups are back, and this chapter's theme is Princess Mononoke in honor of Masquerade's biggest fanfiction title, Singing Mountain!

****

Cell: Alright! Mononoke Hime!

****

Selena: What's that?

****

Selena: Probably the best anime movie ever! Now, who wants to be who?

****

Krillin: Ooo! Ooo! Lemme be Ashitaka! Please?

****

Selena: Alright! **snaps her fingers and Krillin is dressed in Ashitaka's blue kimono and red cloth mask**

****

Krillin: Yeah! Now I'm a bank robber from ancient Japan! **hides his face behind the mask** Yo money or yo life!

****

Sakura: **lol**

****

Piccolo: Can I please not be in this?

****

Selena: Oh c'mon, Piccolo! I promise I won't make you wear anything with a wig! Please?

****

Piccolo: No. Besides, I wasn't in this chapter anyway. I'm outta here! **leaves**

****

Selena: **frowns** See ya next chapter, I guess.

****

Derak: So, how does this work again?

****

Eugene: We just dress up as a cast member from that movie?

****

Sakura: ^^! Yep! Hi guys!

****

Selena: Yep. That's how it works. **thinks for a bit** I'll be Lady Eboshi. **snaps her fingers, and is dressed in Eboshi's yukata and shroud** Wow. I feel elegant…

****

Derak and Eugene: Wow!

****

Sakura: **looks at Selena's costume** Is that what the princess looks like?

****

Selena: No. The princess looks like a wild woman raised by wolves. She wears fur, and a clay mask over her face. 

****

Sakura: Can I please be the princess? Please? Please? Please?

****

Selena: **chuckle** Okay! **snaps her fingers and Sakura is dressed like Princess Mononoke**

****

Sakura: Wow! Awesome!

****

Krillin: **lol** Sakura, you look adorable!

****

Sakura: ^.^

****

Derak: So what can we be?

****

Cell: **scratches his head** I better think of something quick before Selena puts me in a really stupid costume…

****

Eugene: Who are the other characters in the movie?

****

Selena: **thinks** Well, there's lots of male parts for you to take…there's Jiko the priest…there's Kohroku the ox driver…Gonza who's Eboshi's right hand man…

****

Eugene: Hey, is this Gonza character Eboshi's boyfriend?

****

Selena: **sweatdrop** Eboshi doesn't have a boyfriend…

****

Eugene: Oh… **sweatdrop** Can I be him anyway?

****

Selena: Sure. **snaps her fingers, and Eugene is instantly dressed in Gonza's clothes**

****

Eugene: Wow! Everything is instant these days…

****

Cell: Can I be Lord Asano? He's the villain type character, right?

****

Selena: Asano never made an appearance in the movie…

****

Cell: **shrugs** Well yeah, but we know he was a samurai warrior.

****

Selena: So you basically want to be in samurai armor?

****

Cell: **nods** Yeah. I'd look really cool in samurai armor, don't you think?

****

Selena: You would. Let me take care of Derak first, then I'll dress you up, okay?

****

Cell: **smiles and nods**

****

Derak: Well, who would I most likely be?

****

Selena: **thinks** Well, you're nothing like him, but I think you'd look good in Jiko's outfit. Let's take a look-see. **snaps her fingers and Derak is dressed like Jiko the monk**

****

Derak: **smiles** I love it!

****

Eugene: You look really good, man!

****

Cell: Me next! Me next!

****

(Selena snaps her fingers, and Cell is wearing a thin kimono and a towel wrapped around his head.)

Cell: ??? **blink blink** **looks at his outfit** AAAAAAAAAAA! **tries to cover himself** LAWLESS! YOU MADE ME A TATARA WOMAN!

****

Selena: Yeah, right. You actually thought I'd make you a gung-ho samurai? Think again! Actually, you're Otoki, Kohroku's really cool wife.

****

Cell: She was a bitch!

****

Selena: **picks up a rifle and smashes it on Cell's head** 

****

Cell: Ow!

****

Selena: No one insults my favorite Mononoke character and lives! **fires her rifle**

****

Cell: **runs like hell as Selena chases him** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

****

(Everyone laughs)

Derak: I like this dress up thing. 

****

Eugene: Yeah, let's do it again sometime.

****

Selena: Mr. Piccolo didn't get a costume…I wish he would dress up with us…

****

Krillin: Hmmm…**snaps his fingers, then grabs Sakura's hand** Run like hell, guys! He's gonna blow!

****

(Meanwhile, not too far away, Piccolo is sitting in his meditating state…with Deer God horns on his head.)

Piccolo thinks: Whoever did that is so dead…

****

Yes, the character dress ups are back! Also, here's my shameless plug! For those who haven't read my story Singing Mountain, please read! Especially if you're a Cell or Princess Mononoke fan, I can guarantee you'll enjoy it. If you don't like it, then you're weird. That's all for this chapter! Later!


	8. The Mechanicle Man

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 8: The Mechanical Man

Last chapter…

__

Some dreams aren't meant to be deciphered, I guess…

But then again, I've had the same dream every night. The only time it changed was yesterday…

Does it have a meaning?

What does my dream mean?

As she wondered, she fell asleep.

She didn't dream.

^

Something tickled her nose, and she sneezed. That was all it took to wake her up. She raised her head, feeling something weird just under her nose…and it seemed to be crawling in one of her nostrils. She rubbed her nose, and pulled her finger away to see a rather scary sized, harry spider that was trying to fit up her nose. She yelped in shock, and flicked it off her finger, and fell on her back in the process. 

She quickly sat back up and looked around. It was still night, and everyone was still in the tent sleeping…

…well, almost everyone.

Selena narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her campfire, stirring something in a glass.

"Eugene, what are you doing at this time of night?"

He looked up at her.

"Oh, 'evening Selena." He greeted. "Is it time for my shift?"

"Your shift?"

"Remember, I volunteered for the second shift?"

"Oh yeah. Well, I guess so."

"Good. Go in the tent and get some sleep." He smiled at her. "We've got a big day ahead of us." Then he handed her the cup. "Here. Some orange juice? To help you go to sleep?"

"Well, this is probably the nicest thing you've done for me, Eugene." Selena smiled, a little charmed. "Thank you." She took the glass and put her lips to the rim of the cup. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gypsy watching her intensely. Suspicious, she lowered the glass from her mouth before taking in one drop.

"It's drugged, isn't it?" she flatly asked. Eugene almost panicked.

"Of course not! Why would I do that?"

"Oh, so it's poisoned?" Selena grinned teasingly. "Izzat it?"

"NO!" Eugene violently shook his head. Selena laughed.

"I'm teasing. Don't be so tense. But why were you staring at the glass like your life depended on it?"

"Well…I dunno if you like orange juice…"

"I love orange juice."

"How about the instant kind?"

"…it's alright."

"Well, it's instant."

"I don't mind." Selena shrugged, then she downed the whole glass like it was a shot of whiskey. She gave a satisfied "ah" afterward. "See? It's still good. Well, good night." She walked into the tent and snuggled into her sleeping bag.

As instant as the drink, she fell into a very deep sleep.

^

A bright light shined in her eyes, and instantly woke her up.

"OW!" she cried, sitting up and holding her hands over her eyes. When the spots disappeared, she peeked past her hands. It was daylight, and the forest was alive in noise and light. Birds were singing, a lone cuckoo was calling for a mate, the wind stirred the leaves high above…

…then Selena realized that she wasn't in the tent…

She stood up and found that even her sleeping bag was gone. She looked around and found that the whole camp had disappeared. By her feet, Krillin and Sakura were sleeping peacefully. Derak and Eugene were gone. Selena instantly panicked.

Was it Cell?

"Derak!" she called into the forest. "Eugene!" She began walking around, but was careful not to stray too far from Krillin and Sakura. "Derak! Eugene! Where are you?! Answer me!" 

"Selena?" Krillin moaned, waking up. She turned to him. 

"Krillin! Sakura! Get up, quick!" she called, jogging back to them. "The whole camp is gone!"

"What?" Krillin gasped, getting to his feet. He looked around. "Whoa man! That orange juice musta knocked me out cold. I didn't notice a thing…"

"Orange juice?" Selena asked, narrowing one suspicious eyebrow.

"Yeah. Eugene and Derak offered us orange juice when you were out on your shift. I slept like a baby."

Selena quickly put two and two together, and felt instant rage. She clenched her fists and gnashed her teeth behind her lips while her face turned red.

"YOU BASTARDS!" she screamed out into the air. "IT WAS DRUGGED! I KNEW IT! AND I DRUNK IT ANYWAY! YOU MISERABLE BASTARDS! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Whoa, dude!" Krillin panicked, scrambling away for cover. The shouting awaked Sakura.

"What's going on?" she yawned. Selena tried to calm down and explain.

"Derak and Eugene stole our stuff while we were sleeping."

"Huh?" she squeaked in surprise. "Why would they do that?"

"Gypsies, tramps and thieves…" Selena moaned. "And they said they didn't steal anything…" She looked around. "And if they left last night, then they could be anywhere…"

"What do we do now?" Krillin wondered. Selena put a hand over her mouth in thought. 

"They're probably too far away for any of us to sense…and I'm not going to the Sacred City without my capsules…hey Krillin?" She turned to her little, bald friend.

"Yeah?"

"Can you fly around the area for us?" she asked. "Sakura and I will continue to the Sacred City on foot."

Krillin blinked in surprise.

"But you said it was past the mountains! And you don't know how to fly! How do you expect to…"

"There's a shortcut." Selena explained. "Please, Krillin, we need those capsules! All my equipment and vehicles are in that case!"

"Don't you have any capsules on you?" Krillin wondered. Selena nodded, and turned her glance down to the heel of her shoes.

"Just one, but that has food rations in it. Nothing that will really be any help in traveling. Please, Krillin? Please?"

"Okay." He sighed, hovering a couple inches off the ground. "But what if one of us runs into Cell?"

"I think he'll leave us alone right now…" Selena calculated, looking at the bandages that hid her scar. "I don't think we need to worry about him."

"Okay." Krillin nodded. "Just power up as high as you can if you need me." He flew into the air over the treetops to begin his search. Selena looked at Sakura.

"Ready to go?"

"Where's the swoop?"

"It's gone too. Everything is gone."

"But why?"

"I dunno. Let's go ask Derak and Eugene when we find their sorry asses." Sakura gasped at Selena turned to leave.

"Don't say bad words, Selena-san!" she scolded, then ran after her.

"Sorry…" Selena sighed, holding onto Sakura's hand. "I'm just really mad right now."

^

Selena and Sakura walked through the forest for a few hours and found nothing. Selena still kept the journey moving northward, heading for the Sacred City. She was kind of wishing she would get the capsules back before they went too far north. There was snow further north. Lots and lots of snow. She didn't want to be stuck on the snowfield with no capsules and one more body to keep warm other than herself. 

Krillin found them at sunset, shaking his head in failure. He didn't find them. Selena sighed.

"Now what?" she groaned.

"Well, let's fly to the nearest town." Krillin suggested. "I can carry you girls again."

"Okay!" Sakura agreed, giggling. "Flying is fun!" Selena smiled.

"But wouldn't the weight be too much?" she asked in concern.

"We'll rest at the nearest town." Krillin insisted. "And I'm sure they have a capsule shop in that town too. You can just buy some new capsules there."

"I could…" Selena half-smiled, and then the smile disappeared. "…but I don't know where the nearest town is…"

"I can find it." Krillin cheered up. "C'mon, let's go."

Selena and Sakura nodded. 

So Krillin gathered Sakura in his arms, and Selena held onto his shoulders behind him. Then, he set off at a steady speed so that Selena wouldn't fall off by accident. They continued northward to the Sacred City…

…and the snow fields ahead…

^

Through the night and into the next day, Krillin flew with the girls in tow. Selena kept him awake by making him tell her about the other fighters and the story behind Cell. She learned everything from the very beginning. She learned about Raditz, the truth behind the invasion five years ago, of the powerful tyrant Freeza, and of the warrior from the future, Trunks. She paid close attention to what Krillin knew about Cell. She took notes in her head. She wanted to know everything about him.

She learned that Cell was from the future, just like Trunks was. Cell was an android that absorbed human life into his body to make himself stronger. He had the DNA of the strongest warriors that ever set foot on Earth, including Freeza. He was after two androids named #17 and #18, and once he absorbed them he would become ultimately perfect. That could not happen; if he was perfect then he would become the strongest force of power that ever lived, and it was likely he would destroy the Earth and other planets just like it. 

Selena understood that this all wasn't just about saving the Earth…

…it was about saving the universe! That thought chilled her. She didn't think she was ready for that kind of task. 

Cell's earlier words came back to her.

__

What can you do about it?

Selena ran that question through her head a few times, trying to come up with a reasonable answer.

__

What can I do about it?

Anything I can.

^

Soon, they traveled so far north that the land was covered in snow. There were no trees around, only barren fields of white, glistening snow. The air became cold, and chilled everyone to the bone. Krillin was so cold, that he couldn't fly anymore, and he was forced to land. All three of them stood on the ground, shivering and looking around. There was nothing in site for miles, not one break in the snow, and no sign of a town, village, or even a house.

Selena rubbed her bare arms several times with her hands to keep herself warm.

"We'll keep going north," she declared, "even if we have to go on foot."

"You're crazy!" Krillin outbursted, shivering all over. "We don't even know where we are!"

"We're on the right track." Selena suggested. "There's a village called Jingle around her somewhere…it should be further north."

"Which way is north again?"

"The way we were going." She started walking foreword. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

"Selena-san…" Sakura shivered, chattering her teeth. Krillin picked the girl up in his arms and let her get warm against his gi. He ran after Selena, hearing his feet crush in the snow.

"Hey, Selena, wait!"

^

The stomping of Cell's feet was barely heard in the snow. That was good for him. Selena had gone this way, and he was hot on her trail. A cold breeze blew his way, strong and hard. It strong enough to make him falter and almost fall over. Fortunately, he leaned into the wind and kept his balance. 

__

I must once again give Dr. Gero credit…

For the anti-freeze in my blood stream…

And feet that can navigate any terrain…

She's out here somewhere, not too far away…

And I'm going to find her…

And we're going to play another game…

^

"Whoa!" Selena gasped, feeling another strong gust of wind knock her over. She fell sideways in the snow. Krillin ran to her aide, still holding Sakura in his arms.

"Selena!" he called in panic. Selena carefully pushed herself up with her arms and stood on her feet.

"I'm okay." She assured, brushing loose snow off of her. "Let's keep going."

"We really should stop somewhere…" Krillin tried to suggest, following Selena. "Somewhere warm…"

"We don't know where that somewhere is." Selena reasoned. "Here, let me take her." She lifted Sakura into her arms and held her close. The little girl snuggled into Selena's top as she moved on. "If we keep going, then we'll eventually get there."

"What if we don't?" 

"Don't argue with me, Krillin!" Selena shouted at him. Another gust of wind blew up and once again knocked Selena off her feet. Sakura screamed in surprise as she tumbled out of Selena's arms. Selena crawled to the little girl, and gathered her back up as she stood.

"We can't give up!" Selena snapped at Krillin, noticing that Sakura's hairline was icing up. "We have to keep going! We'll make it! Now come on, or we will die out here!" She kept walking, and Krillin shivered under his arms before following her.

^

A snowstorm was brewing, and Selena, Sakura and Krillin were stuck in it. Still, even though they had been walking for hours in the cold, they were powered by Selena's determination and continued to press on northward. Selena was sure the village was nearby, and she refused to give up heading there at all costs. Krillin had no choice but to follow her and make sure she would be okay. He just couldn't believe how quickly the cold had completely drained his strength. He wished he could fly them there…

The storm turned the whole world white and was deafening. Sharp cold was all around, flying in most every direction, stabbing them on any vulnerable skin it could touch. Selena felt like she was trying to be swallowed up by the cold winds, like she was in the middle of a tornado made of swirling ice daggers. She felt like the wind was trying to lift her off the ground and carry her into the sky. It seemed like the wind had hands to grab her and pull her up…

…kind of like her dream…

…only in her dream, she was pulled down…

…and not into wind, but into something like water…

…_and that voice…_

****

Look inside yourself and see the light, not the darkness…

Who was that talking?

And what was it trying to say?

A very sharp wind blew in her face, and pushed her over on her back. Krillin rushed to her and helped her up.

"Thanks, Krillin…" Selena shivered. She didn't realize how frozen she was. Her hair was frosting over, and a small icicle was forming on her nose. She brushed it away as she stood. "Let's keep going…"

"Yeah…" Krillin nodded. "We can't give up…not now…"

Selena shook her head, and continued putting one foot in front of the other.

__

It shouldn't be much further…

^

Selena was so relieved to see the forest before her. Another thing that was fortunate was that the wind had died down and snowflakes were falling like grains of salt on them. The branches of the forest around them were shelter from some of the snow, even though it did nothing for the cold. Selena had Sakura move around and make noise occasionally to be sure the child wasn't frozen dead. Selena smiled to herself as she walked through the forest and looked around at all the trees.

"We're really close now." She assured Krillin and herself. "Jingle is close by. It shouldn't be hard to miss now."

"Great." Krillin nodded, his head completely frozen. His ears felt like they were going to fall off, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open and his chattering jaw still. He needed shelter and something hot in his mouth and stomach right now. He was really looking foreword to some hot cocoa next to a warm fireplace…

"AAAAA!" Selena yelped, faltering foreword a few steps. Her scar was throbbing again. She looked at it, to see it swelling up. Her theory was starting to prove itself. She screamed in the air. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"What's wrong?" Krillin panicked. Selena quickly broke into a run, hoping to get away.

"He's following us!" she shouted. "He's right behind us! We can't let him get us!" Krillin tried to follow her, but he was too cold and too tired to run. 

"Wait! Selena!" he called to her. 

Selena knew Cell was coming, and that through the grabbing storm and deadly cold he was unaffected and fit to fight. He would be coming for them, and he had the power to kill them all in one spot. She couldn't let him have that advantage, and she couldn't let him kill Sakura.

Suddenly, the cold got to her, and her mind was frozen. She stopped running, fell off her toe, and landed face down on the ground. She had fainted.

"SELENA!" Krillin yelled in alarm, heading as fast as he could to her. He tried to shake her, but she didn't respond. He heard Sakura crying underneath her, and he pushed Selena's body away to free the little girl. He gave the crying girl a hug, trying to keep her warm. 

Now what would he do?

^

__

Such a powerful storm…

The anti-freeze isn't up to the job…

I'm cold…

Cell was standing in the middle of the falling snow, thankful that the wind was gone. His arms were crossed, and he was shivering. He was so very cold, and knew he needed shelter. His internal map and sense of direction told him there was a village nearby called Jingle.

__

Jingle? Why is that name familiar?

Oh yes, the Red Ribbon Army was stationed here…

They have a base…the Muscle Tower…

I can take shelter there for a while…Yes…

He began walking in the direction of the tower, hoping it was still standing.

__

I'm sure it is, why shouldn't it be…

Hey, wait a minute…

…

I wonder if 'he' is still here too…

^

Selena felt much warmer…she was starting to wake up. She carefully opened her eyes, since her eyelashes had frozen together. Everything was a blur at first, but around her seemed to be a pleasant glow. When the blurs came into focus, she found that she was staring at a wall and a window that showed it was snowing outside. She was inside a house…that was explaining a bit…

She slowly turned her head…man; her neck felt so stiff…she saw that she was in a bed inside a cozy bedroom. A small fire was ablaze in a nearby iron fireplace, warming up the room. She was wrapped in two down blankets and her head was resting on a very soft and comfortable pillow. She felt so warm and cozy that she snuggled deeper into her blankets and started to doze off back to sleep.

Then she remembered that she last found herself in a snowfield freezing to death, and she bolted to a sit, wide-awake. Her breathing became very rapid and sharp from the scare. She held her hands to her quickly beating heart.

"Where…am I?" she asked the room around her. The empty room had no response for her. Then she turned her head to the door, seeing that it was open. She carefully slid off the comfy bed and unfolded the blankets away from her. She noticed that she was wearing a warm sweater over her clothes and her shoes had been replaced with wool socks. Whoever lived here was definently adapted to the cold. She walked out the door of the bedroom and entered the living space.

A bear rug centered the room, and was cornered by two sofas. A much larger fireplace roared with fierily life, greatly warming up the home. A small kitchen was to the far end of the room, and the stove was brewing something in a huge soup pot. Selena smelled chicken and something like flowers coming from the pot. It made her mouth water. She walked towards the stove, and carefully sniffed the steamy fumes of the pot.

"Mmmmm…" she hummed hungrily. "Chicken soup."

"Oh, you're up." A voice said, making Selena jump in surprise. From another doorway came a young woman with blond hair tied behind her in a loose braid and draped in a cooking apron. She was wearing a red sweater and black pants with brown boots to match. The attire reminded Selena of a lumberjack. "Hi." The woman greeted with a friendly smile.

"Good morning." Selena nodded politely.

"Good evening, you should say." The woman insisted, walking towards her. "It's half past eleven. You've been asleep for hours." She waved her hand at the pot. "Help yourself. It's for you."

"Thank you very much." Selena smiled, nodding again but in thanks. The woman opened an upper cabinet door and handed Selena a small, brown bowl that was carved from wood and then varnished to a protective shine. Selena smiled at it before reaching for the ladle in the pot. It was so hot she burned her fingers.

"Ow!"

"Careful." The woman warned too late with a chuckle. "Here, let me get that for you."

^

"So," Selena began as she blew on a spoonful of her soup, "could you please tell me where I am?"

"This is Jingle Village." The woman answered, as she helped herself to a bowl of chicken soup. "My name is Yukii, and you with your friends are in my house."

"Thank God." Selena sighed, sitting down on a couch. Yukii sat on the other couch, spooning the broth in her mouth. "We made it. Wait, 'my friends?' Is a little girl and a bald guy here too?"

"Why yes." Yukii nodded, pointing to the door Selena saw her leave. "Krillin and Sakura, right? You three were all found together and I volunteered to take care of you until you all warmed up. You all just about froze to death, and are lucky to be alive. We're all so glad he found you."

"Who's he?" Selena wondered, before taking in a piece of chicken into her mouth and chewing. It was good to have hot food in her system, she felt much better. 

"The man who found you." Yukii smiled. "The guardian of the village."

"Guardian?" Selena blinked in surprise.

__

Is there a guardian here too?

Like one of the Four Guardians? Like…me?

"Don't worry." Yukii waved an assured hand at Selena. "You'll get to meet him in the morning. He's very nice and very strong. If he didn't find you all in time…well…"

"I'll thank him myself." Selena nodded. She set her bowl down beside her. "Can I go see Krillin and Sakura? I want to be sure they're alright."

"Okay, but they're sleeping." Yukii cautioned. "They're fine. They were conscious when he found them. I quickly warmed them up with some hot chocolate and made sure they stayed warm. Krillin wanted to watch over you until you woke up, but I insisted that he got some rest." Selena smiled as she stood up.

"Really?" she wondered as she walked to the door. Yukii nodded as Selena slowly opened the door to a crack and peeked inside. The lights were off in the main bedroom, but she could see, tucked into the huge feather bed, Krillin and Sakura fast asleep in the dark room. It was such a peaceful picture that Selena's smile grew a little bigger just before she quietly closed the door.

"Thank you so very much." Selena bowed to Yukii. "This is very kind of you."

"Don't mention it." Yukii chuckled behind one hand. "It's all out of the kindness of my heart. I guess I get it from my mother. A long time ago, when I was little, my mother and I took a young boy in from the cold snows and saved him too."

"Oh really?" Selena wondered, sitting back on the couch and picking up her soup bowl. Yukii nodded.

"It was a good thing I saved him too. During that time, the Red Ribbon Army had attacked our village and rooted out all the men to help them search for the dragonball."

"Dragonball?" Selena blinked. Oh yeah, she knew all about the dragonballs. Kami used to tell her stories about them. "Why did they want a dragonball?"

"We were never told why." Yukii shook her head. "To take over the world, I guess. Anyway, my father was taken away by them, and my mother and I missed him so much. Then, when I found the boy, he promised to save the village and bring back my father in return for my kindness. He was quite the fighter, I have to admit that I was scared of him when he showed off his strength."

Selena was suspecting the end to this little fairy tale…

"So what happened?"

"He went to the Muscle Tower, defeated the army, and saved our village. All the men came back, including my father."

"And the boy?"

"Left in search of the other dragonballs. I never saw him again."

__

Drat. I thought she would have fallen in love with him and got married…

Oh well…life's not a fairy tale, after all…

"So…did this boy have a name?" Selena wondered as she sipped a spoonful of broth.

"Of course he did." Yukii laughed behind her hand again. "Son Goku."

Selena spit out her soup in shock.

"Son Goku?!" she yelped. "No kidding?!"

^

"Whew." Eugene sighed, leaning against the stone wall. "That was close. We just barely got out of that storm. Lucky to be alive, eh Derak?" His friend was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall on his back with one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded on his chest. Derak was staring at his shoes, a guilty look was painted on his face. "Hey man, what's eatin ya?"

"I can't believe we had to do that to her, Eugene." Derak sighed. "We stranded her, and that monster probably got her because of us." He glared at him. "If she is dead, and we're responsible…then that makes us murderers."

"Why the hell are you worried about her?" Eugene waved an unconcerned hand at Derak. "She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She said it herself, she could fight that monster." He shrugged. "Idiot bitch…"

"Gin!" Derak snapped. "Cut that out! What if she is dead? If she were heading north like she said, then she would have to come this way just like we did! Out here, in that storm? With no capsules? If that monster didn't kill her, this storm will."

"Will you stop worrying already?" Eugene insisted in annoyance. He slumped down until he was sitting on the floor. "If she is what she says she is then she'll be fine, right? But she did mention a city in the north where the monster wouldn't be able to go. It's a guaranteed safe spot, and that's where we're going to go. Then we won't have to worry about the monster. We have the equipment we need…" He held up Selena's capsule case for Derak to see. "…so we'll get there before the monster does. So relax. Once the storm calms down, we'll keep going."

"Fine." Derak sighed. "So, where are we again?"

"I dunno. Some old tower…" Eugene shrugged. "I'm sure there's a map around here somewhere that'll tell us where we are…"

"You are in the Muscle Tower…" a different voice answered them from the shadows, "…the northern headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army…" Derak and Eugene turned their heads to an open doorway in fear.

"That voice…" Derak gasped.

"Is it…what I think it is…" Eugene shivered.

Then, it stepped out of the darkness as though the shadows were melting off of its speckled skin.

"It's the monster!" Eugene screamed.

"Stand back!" Derak threatened it, pointing his rifle at it. The monster flicked a finger at him, and the rifle suddenly flung from Derak's hands and landed behind him. The monster seemed to form a pleased smile on its beak as it walked towards the two gypsies. Derak took a frightened step back, and tripped over the rifle, falling on his back. The monster immediately lunged for the man, and stabbed its tail into his chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Eugene screamed in fear. Derak reached a hand out to his comrade.

"Gin!" he screamed in fear and pain. "Help…"

GRUUUP! GRUUUP! GRUUUP!

Loud slurping sounds from the monster's tail echoed off the walls as Derak seemed to melt away and get sucked up the syringe of the monster's tail. Soon, all that was left of Derak was his clothes. Eugene was paralyzed. His best friend since childhood was gone! Died before his eyes! Wrapped in fear and disgust, he was frozen in place. Then, the monster met his gaze and growled softly. It broke the small spell, and Eugene pushed himself away from the monster with his feet.

"NO!" Eugene screamed in panic. "Please, don't hurt me!" Then, his back thudded against the wall, and the monster began walking towards him. Eugene screamed again, putting his hands and arms in front of himself in defense. "Please, don't! No!"

KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH! KT-CH!

The monster's loud steps rang in Eugene's ears. His heartbeat seemed to fall in the rhythm of the stomping.

"Wait! Wait!" Eugene tried to stop. "You're name is Cell, right?"

KT-CH, KT-CH, KT-CH, KT-CH…

Cell's steps quickened upon hearing his name. Now he couldn't afford to let the boy live.

"WAIT!" Eugene shouted at him. "Please, listen to me! You're after that Selena girl, right? She's not dead yet, right?"

KT-CH, KT-CH, KT-CH, KT-CH…

"I know where she is!"

KT…

The monster paused just inches from Eugene. He stared at the boy long and hard. Eugene shivered under the android's shadow, only fearing the worst of what would happen to him. Suddenly, Cell reached down for the boy.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Cell grabbed Eugene's neck and hoisted him up into the air while pressing him against the wall. Both were at eye level and Cell leaned his face so close to Eugene's that the boys nose almost touched Cell's beak. 

"I know where she is too…" Cell whispered harshly.

"…" Eugene shivered under Cell's grasp. The monster smiled.

"…and I have a use for you…"

^

Selena awoke the next morning on the couch, covered in a wool blanket. She felt a lot better, less cold and less stiff. She had recovered. She sat up and looked around. Yukii was at the stove, making something that smelled wonderful. Selena stretched her arms up in the air, and tossed the blanket off her.

" 'Morning, Yukii." Selena greeted.

"Good morning." Yukii greeted in a singsong voice. "You ready for breakfast? I'm making waffles."

"Waffles?" Selena blinked. "What are those?" Yukii turned to her.

"You must be kidding."

"No."

"Well, waffles are like pancakes…only they have square bumps in them."

"How strange." Selena chuckled behind her hand. "Sure, I would love to try some waffles."

"Where are you from, Selena?"

"Ireland."

"Really?" Yukii blinked. "But that's just north of here, and you were found in the south."

"Yeah, I know." Selena nodded, standing up. "I've been away from home for a long time, and I'm heading back."

"Oh, I see." Yukii nodded. "I've never been to Ireland…so they don't have waffles there?"

"Nope."

"Strange. Well, I have the first batch ready for you when you want it."

"Thank you. I'll eat right now." Yukii readied a plate for Selena, and Selena applied her own amount of warm maple syrup and butter. "Oh, by the way, are Krillin and Sakura alright?"

"They woke up before you did." Yukii informed as Selena found a place to sit at the kitchen counter. "Sakura wanted to make a snowman so she and Krillin are outside."

"Okay." Selena nodded, looking at her waffles carefully. "Wow. This is strange…"

"I'm amazed you've never seen a waffle in your life." Yukii smiled. "If you travel, haven't you been to a diner that served them?"

"None that I know of." Selena shook her head. "Oh, by the way," she changed the subject. "Thank you so much for taking the three of us in. I can't tell you how grateful we are."

"I understand." Yukii nodded. "Now eat up. Waffles are no good when they're cold."

^

After eating up her breakfast and putting on a lent wool jacket, Selena walked outside and into the small village of Jingle. She had been here before, but that was just a quick stop to buy supplies. She didn't know the town very well, but she knew that beyond here was a forest that provided a shortcut through the mountains and to the Sacred City. The people of Jingle Village called it the Haunted Woods, since there were ghost sightings there, but Selena knew the real name of the forest. It was known as the Forest of Nightmares. True, strange things did happen there, and they were usually bad. However, if a guardian was in the wandering party then no bad things happened at all. The forest was Selena's next destination…

…but first she needed capsules.

She found Sakura and Krillin rolling up huge snowballs and stacking them into a decent snowman. Sakura was having a ball making her first snowman. Selena smiled at the little girl. Sakura was wearing a small red parka and black goulashes. Krillin was in a puffy black jacket and wore oversized snow boots on his feet. Both of them were having fun drawing in a face on the snowman's head and giving it branch arms.

"We need a carrot!" Sakura announced enthusiastically as Selena approached.

"Why do we need a carrot?" Krillin wondered.

"For the nose!" Sakura put a finger on her own nose. "Every snowman has a carrot nose."

"Lemme see." Selena insisted, standing behind the two. She nodded her head as she evaluated. "That's a very good snowman, guys."

"Hey Selena." Krillin greeted. "Glad to see ya up and around."

"Thanks Krillin."

"Selena-san!" Sakura cheered, hugging Selena's legs. "You're alright!" Selena smiled, and picked up the little girl in her arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Selena nodded. "So, what have you two been doing while I was asleep?"

"Making Frosty the Snowman, mostly," Krillin explained, waving his hand at the snowman. "But we stopped by 8-man's place to say thank you."

" '8-man?' " Selena blinked.

"That's the guy who saved us." Krillin nodded. "Oh man, Selena, you have got to see this guy! He's huge!"

"He's cool!" Sakura laughed. "I like 8-man-san!"

"I think I should go see him." Selena nodded, putting down Sakura. "Where is he?"

"He lives in the mayor's house. This way." Krillin directed, heading in the indicated way.

"I wanna come to!" Sakura suggested. "I wanna see him again!"

__

8-man…Selena wondered to herself. 

__

Is he the guardian of the village?

I wonder what he's like…

^

Selena knocked on the door of the mayor's house. It was a house just like the other houses in the village, small and cozy. However, the door was rather massive. She wondered if this 8-man was the mayor of the town…

Then, the biggest man she had ever seen opened the door.

"Whoa." Selena gasped in surprise.

The man was roughly six foot seven feet tall, and had broad shoulders, a hunched over head, and a body size that was lucky to fit through a door. He must have been the reason why the mayor's door was so wide. The man looked like the Frankenstein monster with his squared off head, bolts in the neck, green skin, stitches across his face and hands, and a mess of black hair. Selena was very intimidated.

"Hi 8-man-san!" Sakura greeted, waving. The huge man looked at her and smiled. Selena's tension eased a bit.

"So, you're 8-man?" she asked. He looked at her.

"Yes, I am." He answered in a mechanical voice. Selena nodded.

"Not to sound impolite, but…it's a most unusual name." The man smiled.

"It is my nickname. My full name is Mechanical Man #8."

Selena raised an eyebrow.

__

#8? Like Android #8?

"Well, thank you for saving me and my friends yesterday." Selena bowed. "That was very heroic of you. We probably would have died if we stayed out any later than we did."

"I am grateful that you three survived." The man nodded. "There was something very bad traveling the same road you were on."

"What do you mean?"

"It was something bad. It would have hurt you a lot. But you are safe here."

"Yes." Selena nodded. "Thank you again."

"You may stay here as long as you like." 8-man offered. "But you must beware of what is following you."

"I think I know what you're talking about now. I'll be careful, I promise."

"You have a nice day." The man wished as Selena and the others began walking away. 

"Bye bye!" Sakura called as the door closed. The three of them walked back to the snowman.

"What is up with that guy?" Selena asked Krillin. "Is he a robot or something?"

"I think he's an android." Krillin nodded. "He has a number for a name, and all androids have numbers. 17 and 18 are the ones we have to look for."

"So, was #8 an old project of Gero's?"

"I think so."

"Then he could be trouble?"

"I dunno. He's been here for years, and I dunno what his story is. But he hasn't caused any trouble at all as far as I heard. He's been protecting this place for a long time. Yukii said he's been here ever since she was a little girl."

"Hmmm…" Selena bowed her head in thought, "he said a bad thing was following us. I think he meant Cell…"

"Is that why you panicked back there?"

"Yeah, I thought he was right behind us."

"Kid, you worry too much."

Then, a commotion began to buzz through the village. People began gathering at the southern side of town and their chatter was very loud and panicky. After blinking a couple of times, Selena went to go investigate too. Krillin and Sakura followed.

Everyone was crowded around a young man who had stumbled in from the cold. He was absolutely frozen, and seemed extremely scared. An elderly man was guiding him through the crowd. Someone tossed a warm blanket over the man's shoulders as he was guided to a house. Selena took a look at the refuged man's face, and was shocked.

"It can't be…" she breathed. "Eugene!"

Eugene looked at Selena, and he appeared to be more frightened than before. The older man took him into the house. Selena glared at the door of the house as it closed. She marched up to it with her hands balled into angry fists. Krillin took notice of that immediately.

"Whoa!" he panicked, running after Selena. "Hey Selena, wait up!" Sakura followed. Selena opened the unlocked door to the house and looked it. The house was the exact same thing as Yukii's if not for the different décor. Eugene was seated in a recliner and the old man was tucking blankets around him. Selena cleared her throat to make her presence known. The old man gasped.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Where did you come from?"

"I know this man." Selena said firmly. "He's a gypsy and his name is Eugene. And the little thief stole something from me. Can I talk to him for a moment?"

"Can't you see he's frozen solid?!" the man outbursted. "He can barely say a word."

"Then I'll help warm him up." Selena offered. "Do you have any hot chocolate or soup for him to eat?"

^

Selena and the old man made some hot chocolate for Eugene while Krillin and Sakura made themselves at home. After Eugene was warmed up, the old man wandered into another room to let Selena go on with her interrogating. Selena sat directly across from the gypsy with her legs slightly apart, resting her elbows on her knees, and bunching her hands under her nose. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel by now. Was she angry? Homicidal? Annoyed? She was a mix of all three, but she kept herself in control.

"Eugene…" she sighed. "I don't know if I should kill you or not. Not only did you take off like that, but you stole my capsules and equipment. The three of us had to travel through the snow without so much as the clothes on our back. We almost died out there. I feel that you and Derak made quick time with my swoops and used some of my sweaters and jackets to stay warm…or maybe even my battery powered heater or my gas lamp? While we're on the subject, where are my capsules?"

"Don't got 'em…" he said, rubbing his hands over his cold arms.

"Don't give me that crap. Hand them over!"

"I dropped them…in the tower…"

"You lost them? How could you lose them? What the hell were you and Derak doing?!"

"Derak…" Eugene shivered under the blanket draped over his shoulders.

"And that reminds me, where is Derak? Knowing you guys, you wouldn't just take off without him, would you?"

"He's dead…"

"Dead?"

"The monster…got him…"

"Oh no!" Sakura squeaked, cuddling closer to Krillin.

"Cell…" Krillin shivered in fear. Selena narrowed her eyes.

"Wait a minute…that thing killed Derak and not you? How come?"

"He's coming!" Eugene suddenly shouted, bolting up to his feet. "He's coming here! He wants you!"

"Me?" Selena blinked suspiciously. "Tell me something I don't know."

"He's gonna kill me too!" Then, he grabbed her shirt desperately. "Please help me! Please! I don't wanna die!"

"None of us wanna die." Selena snorted, pushing Eugene back into his chair. "And how do I know you're not making this up?!"

"Selena!" Krillin tried to reprimand. "He's trying to warn us!"

"I don't think so." Selena shook her head. "That monster has spared no one except for me. Why would he spare Eugene? He told me himself, the kid didn't mean anything to him. Eugene probably abandoned Derak somewhere and took off without him, and Derak has frozen to death."

"I wouldn't do that to him!" Eugene defended.

"I wouldn't know that for sure. From what I've seen, Eugene, you don't care about anyone other than yourself. How would you even know Cell is coming this…"

Suddenly, her scar jerked in pain.

"…AAAAAA!" Selena was forced on her knees, holding her wrist tightly. "Oh crap!"

"Selena-san!" Sakura jumped off the couch and ran to Selena's side. Selena was trying to stare past the bandages that covered her scar. She could feel the bite marks swell under the cloth. 

"Oh God…" Selena began whispering. "Eugene…I'm so sorry…"

"Huh?" Eugene blinked as Selena stood up.

"You were right. I'm sorry I doubted you. He is coming."

"But how would you know?" Eugene wondered. Selena held out her bandaged left arm.

"Have you ever wondered where my scar came from? Well, a few days ago, Cell bit this arm with his own teeth. The arm healed, but the bite marks didn't. Since then, I found that when Cell is nearby, the marks swell and start hurting all over again. It's like a warning that Cell is coming. That was what happened just now. Cell is coming…and I sensed him."

"Oh my God…" Krillin gasped in disbelief. "Selena, are you sure?"

"Not really." She admitted, shaking her head. "I don't know if that's the case. And if it is, I don't know how it can be happening…" Then she raised it higher. "…but enough of that. We can't waste any time. We need to get the people out of here. Cell is on his way, and I don't know how fast he's traveling."

^

Selena had rallied the villagers in the town square. She let them know that the monster of Nickey Town was on his way and he would spare no one. The mayor, a man in his mid-forties, made plans for everyone to take refuge in the Haunted Woods. Selena watched everyone take any food or what they could carry, and quickly herd to the woods to the north. 

She spotted Sakura and Krillin next to Yukii. Selena stepped down to them.

"Yukii," Selena said to the woman, "take Sakura with you. Take care of her for me, okay?"

"What do you mean?" Yukii asked as Sakura looked up at her. "You're coming with us, aren't you?"

"No." Selena shook her head. "I'm going to stay here and try to buy you guys more time to escape."

"Don't tell us you're going to take Cell on by yourself?!" Krillin exclaimed. "Selena, you can't win!"

"That doesn't matter in this case." Selena insisted. "I'm just giving you more time. Krillin, go with them too. Protect them in case I can't keep Cell in one place."

"But Selena…"

"Don't argue!" she snapped. "There's no time! Get going!"

"Selena-san…" Sakura sniffed, like she was about to cry. Selena lowered herself to one knee to look the child in the eye.

"Sakura, you have to go with them. I can't have you here, you'll get hurt. Krillin will take care of you."

"But he always has to take care of me!" the girl protested. "I wanna be with you!"

"Sorry, kid." Selena sighed. "The last thing I want is something bad to happen to you. If Cell hurt you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not being able to stop him. So, just go on with Yukii and the others. Everything will be alright."

"Selena-san…"

"Yukii…" Selena said to the woman, "…if anything does happen to me, you take good care of Sakura for me, okay?"

"But Selena…you're talking like you're about to die…" Yukii tried to reason. Selena stood up and shook her head.

"You're running out of time." She insisted. "Get going." Then she turned around and began walking to the south side of the village. The three of them watched as she walked away. Bursting out crying, Sakura started running to her friend. Krillin held the girl back.

"Selena-san!" Sakura cried. "Come back!"

"We better go." Krillin nodded to Yukii. They started walking away as Sakura starting hitting Krillin to make him let go of her.

"Let me go! Let me go, Krillin! Selena-san! She's gonna die! We gotta help her! Krillin, let go! SELENA-SAN!"

^

Protected from the cold by Yukii's coat and goulashes, Selena stood ready for Cell with her staff in hand. Her scar was beginning to hurt more, signaling that Cell was getting very close now. She kept her eyes on the horizon, looking for any sign of Cell's approach. She would spot him any minute now.

The skies began to cloud above her, becoming peaceful shades of light gray. Light flakes of snow began to glide down from the sky. The numbers were small at first, but then hundreds of snowflakes began tumbling from the sky and became thicker and bigger by the minute. Another snowstorm would follow soon. Selena recalculated her odds of survival. She was fighting on terrain she wasn't familiar with and wasn't comfortable on, and she was frozen, and her muscles couldn't be any stiffer. She wasn't sure how Cell would perform in the cold, but hopefully she would stand some chance. 

…but, if Cell didn't kill her, then the cold will…

^

From inside an empty house, someone watched her. Someone wondered what she would be doing out here, and not with the others in the forest outside of town. Someone prayed that this girl knew what she was doing.

^

Someone else was watching from a more secret hiding place. Watching Selena and the horizon, trading gazes for each. Someone was anxious for the monster to come quickly. Someone was hoping that he would survive through the coming events.

__

Hurry up, dammit! Hurry up!

^

She saw him. 

He was walking towards her, unaffected by the cold snow falling. Their eyes were locked, they could see each other. She couldn't hear his footsteps, they were muffled in the snow. The snowfall was letting up, as though someone was lifting a curtain and signaling the show to begin. Selena gripped her staff tighter in her hands. Cell's stride quickened pace. 

Both were waiting for one or the other to move.

Soon, Cell was standing just a few feet away from Selena. Both just stared at each other for a while. The only thing moving was Cell's tail, which wavered around slightly until it held a still arch pointing away from the girl. Selena said the only thing that could come to mind.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Nice weather…"

"…if you're a penguin."

"Heh."

Then they were silent again. Suddenly, they both struck fighting poses.

"Well," Selena shrugged, "let's get this over with."

"Are you going to win this time?" Cell asked with a teasing smirk.

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"You know why not."

"No, I don't."

"…" Selena decided to stop the small talk. It was just proving she was nervous. Cell was calm and casual, not bothered at all. He knew he was going to win. Selena was not sure if she had one advantage.

"Well, what's the problem? Is it too cold for you?"

"What about you?"

"I'm not bothered."

"Damn."

Cell grinned.

"Fool. Did you actually think the snow and cold would bother me? Did you figure that I couldn't fight as well in the cold? Why don't you calculate your own odds for a change?!"

Selena ran for him with a yell. Cell just smiled, anticipating attack. Selena swung her staff at him, but he easily caught it. He kept a firm grip on the staff, and used it to fling Selena away from him. She was thrown into the village, and tumbled to a stop in the snow. Cell ran after her, then raised a foot to kick her. Selena quickly rolled away from him, just missing his flinging foot. She grabbed her staff and jumped up to her feet. 

Cell flung a flexed hand at her, trying to claw her face. She brought up her staff, and Cell's claws only scraped the jewel end. She raised the other end of the staff, and knocked him a hard blow to the face. He growled in pain, backing away a couple of steps. Selena quickly sheathed her staff on her back, and lunged for Cell with her hands before her. Cell prepared for attack as Selena charged. She slapped his blocking arms with openhanded hits. He tried to attack back with jabs, but he was having trouble trying to hit her. With both on the offence, neither was causing much damage.

Cell jumped in the air, and Selena jumped after him. A strong gust of wind picked up, and blew Selena slightly away from Cell. She yelped, shielding her face from the cold gust. Cell took the unguarded opportunity to attack, and he kicked her back to the ground. Selena landed on her back on the snow, and sank in deep. She climbed out angrily.

"Dammit…" she muttered, gritting her teeth, "He got stronger…" 

****

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Selena quickly looked up to the buzzing noise above her just in time to see Cell's foot before it came in contact with her face. She was knocked further into the snow. She quickly raised her head and shook her ears clear of snow.

"That does it!" she shouted. "Now I'm mad!" Then, she powered up her aura, and the heat of her ki melted the snow around her. She stood up, and found herself in a puddle of water that came up to her knees. The water was steaming. She shook the snow out of her hair, and looked around for Cell. He was hovering rather close to the ground, watching her. Then, his eyes turned up to a nearby roof behind Selena. She turned her head to look. She saw a young man with a high-powered rifle in his hands jump from the roof and run in their direction. The man was dressed in a huge black coat and had his face hidden behind snow goggles and the coat hood.

"Hey!" Selena shouted at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The man didn't answer. Cell landed softly on the ground, crossed his arms, and let his tail rest on the ground. The man walked in front of Cell and pointed his gun at Selena. "What the…" Selena blinked. The man freed one hand from his gun and reached into his jacket. He pulled out a capsule case, and held it out for Selena to see. She recognized it.

"That's my capsule case!" She exclaimed. She started running for him. "Thanks for finding it. Can I have it back?!"

Suddenly, he fired the gun. A bullet hit Selena in the leg, and she fell over on her stomach with a yelp.

"Hey!" she yelled back. "What the hell gives?!" She tried to stand up, but her leg was bleeding and was starting to stiffen. The man laughed, and raised his goggles off his eyes. 

"Sorry, Selena," a familiar voice chuckled, "but you better stay where you are if you want this to run smoothly."

"Eugene, you bastard!" Selena shouted at the gypsy. Eugene waved around Selena's capsule case tauntingly. 

"So, yeah, I had your capsules all along. I'm a pretty good actor, aren't I?"

"I am going to kill your ass!"

"You want your capsules?" Eugene asked. "Then you better surrender yourself."

"To who? You?"

"To him." Eugene looked over his shoulder at Cell. The monster didn't move. Selena could not believe it. Fear welled in her eyes. She just could not believe what was happening. The fear melted away into absolute hatred. She started crawling to him, reaching out with her hands and pulling herself in his direction.

"I'm gonna kill you…" she growled. "I am going to kill your sorry ass!"

"So, do you give up or not?"

"Why should I?"

"You want your capsules back, don't you?"

"They're not worth my life!"

"Oh really?" Eugene chuckled. "That's not what you thought earlier. You said that without your capsules, all you had to keep you warm were the clothes on your back. You said you almost died because you didn't have your capsules. Am I right?"

__

He's right. God damn it, he's right…

"So, what do you say, Selena? You want them back?"

"What if I decide not to surrender?" Selena spat back. The blood on her leg was starting to freeze. Eugene turned to Cell.

"You wanna know where the villagers went?" he asked the monster.

"Do tell." Cell nodded.

"You wouldn't!" Selena shouted at Eugene.

"Well, she ordered everyone out of town and to the…"

"Eugene!"

"She even told that little girl to go with them…"

"Don't!"

"They all went to the forest just up the…"

"SHUT UP, DAMN YOU!" Selena screamed, about to burst into tears. Eugene turned back to Selena.

"Should I tell him more?!"

"You bastard…" Selena muttered, almost too tired to talk. "You're selling me out to save your own skin, aren't you? You sacrificed Derak just so that you could live!"

"You have half the story right." Eugene nodded. "So, are you going to surrender? You're the one who's getting the better side of the bargain, after all."

Selena lowered her head for a moment to think, then she raised it.

"I surrender!" she announced desperately. Then she resumed pulling herself up to Eugene. "But I surrender only to Cell, not you! I'm gonna kill you, backstabber!" Cell chuckled behind one hand as Eugene backed away from Selena. He turned to Cell.

"The villagers are in the Haunted Woods just north of here." He spilled. Selena froze in shock.

"And I thank you for your cooperation." Cell nodded as he walked away. "Do what you want with her, but don't kill her. Or else." He gave Eugene an evil eye, and the gypsy flinched.

"No problem." He chuckled. With that, Cell ran off. Selena angrily rose to her feet, and charged for Eugene.

"TRAITOR!" she screamed. Eugene fired another round at her leg, and she fell over back into the puddle. She was starting to black out from the blood loss. Then she heard Eugene start cackling like a madman, and preparing his gun for one more shot.

"Sorry, Selena." He laughed. "I'll keep the capsules. He said not to kill you, but I'm gonna prepare a little accident for ya. Later, sweetie! Ha, ha, ha, ha…huh? Hey, what the…OH MY GOD!"

Then he was screaming, and then she heard his scream suddenly go far away like he was flung away. Then she heard a crash from the other side of the village. Then, she felt huge hands pick her up and hold her close.

"Are you alright?" a familiar monotone voice asked.

"8-man?" Selena shivered.

"Let us go." The android suggested. "We have no time to waste." Then he started running. His body was warm, and the movements of his running body rocked her gently.

She fell asleep.

^

She awoke to the sound of birds singing. She opened her eyes and saw snow-covered trees around her. She sat up, and found herself wrapped in a long blanket. She wrestled her way out of it and stood up. Pain shot up her leg, and she fell back on her bottom. She looked at her leg, and noticed that it was bandaged. It didn't feel like any bones were broken. She stood back up carefully and looked around. 

Krillin and Sakura were nearby, asleep under one blanket. No one else was around. She carefully walked to them and shook them awake. As soon as Krillin woke up, he told Selena what had happened. Cell found them and attacked. Krillin tried to defend who was left, but all he could save was Sakura. Then 8-man showed up with Selena and tried to fight Cell. 

"Poor guy…" Krillin mourned for 8-man, "he didn't stand a chance. Cell blew him to pieces."

"No…" Selena gasped. Sakura's lip quivered and her eyes watered, like she was going to cry. Selena sat by the girl and hugged her. "He saved my life…what happened after that?"

"Well…Cell saw you…and he stopped." Krillin tried to explain.

"He stopped?"

"He was gonna attack me next, but he saw you and…he just stood there, looking at you…then he…he cleaned off the blood, took out the bullets in your leg, and…took off for the village…"

"I think I know why." Selena nodded. She told her half of the story, and Krillin couldn't believe his ears. Sakura started crying, not in belief either.

"Eugene…" Krillin whispered sadly.

"Save your tears." Selena spat angrily. "Cell killed him for trying to kill me. Good riddance to bad rubbish." She gathered Sakura in her arms and stood up. "Is this the Haunted Woods?"

"Yeah." Krillin nodded.

"Where did you come in from?"

"That way." Krillin pointed south. Selena nodded and headed north.

"Then we go this way." She proposed. "On the other side of this forest is the Sacred City. Stick with me, and we'll get there."

"Okay." Krillin nodded, then walked after her. Selena looked behind her, past Krillin and at the blanket that she was wrapped in. 

__

Yukii…are you dead too?

I'm sorry, Yukii…

Thanks for protecting Sakura for me…

…and thanks for the waffles…

****

To Be Continued

Masquerade: Hi everybody! Thanks for reading Unholy Crusade so far. It's my biggest project so far, and I'm hoping for it to get bigger. Uh, you're probably wondering where the end of episode bonus is…well, this chapter was so long that there won't be one this episode. So sorry, plus it's the holidays and I'm a particularly busy woman. So, let me put a really quick thing together. **turns around** Hey, guys!

****

(The cast of Unholy Crusade walks out. All of them are wearing Santa Clause suits.)

Everyone: Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all!

****

Masq: Not much, I know, but it'll do ya, right?

****

Selena: Hey Cell, you look good in a Santa suit. 

****

Cell: **looks around nervously** There had better be no cameras around here!

****

Masq: Happy Holidays, everyone!


	9. Forest of Nightmares

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 9: Forest of Nightmares

In the last chapter…

__

"Eugene…" Krillin whispered sadly.

"Save your tears." Selena spat angrily. "Cell killed him for trying to kill me. Good riddance to bad rubbish." She gathered Sakura in her arms and stood up. "Is this the Haunted Woods?"

"Yeah." Krillin nodded.

"Where did you come in from?"

"That way." Krillin pointed south. Selena nodded and headed north.

"Then we go this way." She proposed. "On the other side of this forest is the Sacred City. Stick with me, and we'll get there."

"Okay." Krillin nodded, then walked after her. 

The morning sun was peeking through the leaves of the canopy, lighting the narrow path of the forest. They had left the snow behind, and the ground was filled with many green plants and colorful flowers. The scent of the flowers wafted through the air, along with the smell of the pine trees around. They could hear the birds singing merrily, high in the trees and with no cares at all. Selena smiled at the sight. The forest was masking what it truly was.

The people in surrounding towns and settlements called this place the Haunted Forest. In truth, it was the Forest of Nightmares. Selena was among the few that knew the land's true name, for she was a guardian. She was aware of the many stories and dangers the forest held under its trees. She wasn't familiar with the land, but she knew enough to protect herself and her fellow travelers.

"Why do they call it the 'Haunted Forest?' " Krillin wondered as they walked (Selena was mentally kicking herself for forgetting her capsule case back in Jingle). "Are there really ghosts here?"

"Not really." Selena shook her head. "Strange things do happen here, and people will believe anything these days…within this forest is a strange power…not like the power we have. This power can see into our hearts, our minds…our souls, and show us things."

"Show us?" Sakura wondered, holding Selena's hand. "Show us what?"

"Our greatest fears, mostly." Selena tried to explain. "Our worst nightmares…and things worse than that. It's mostly to drive people away."

"Why drive them away?" Krillin asked.

"Because this forest is the Sacred City's first line of defense. To avoid seeing illusions of what you fear most, a guardian must be in your party." She reached behind her, and tapped the jewel on her staff. It began to glow faintly, but no light could be shed for them because the forest was too bright. "So, we shouldn't see anything. At least, nothing that could hurt us. See, illusions can be harmful, even deadly, if you believe they are real. If you believe they can hurt you, then they have the power to hurt and even kill you."

"Some way to ward people off…" Krillin muttered, then he spoke back up. "So, has anyone ever died in here?"

"Oh yeah." Selena nodded. "Lots. Those who thought they could brave the unknown lurking in the wilderness. They never returned. Some who go looking usually find bloody remains of these foolish adventurers."

"Ew!" Sakura freaked, huddling closer to Selena's body. Selena patted the little girl's head.

"It's okay. With me here, we'll be fine." Then she smirked wickedly. "And if Cell tries to follow us, he has to be within at least ten meters away from me. Or else, he stands no chance against his greatest fear."

"But Cell isn't scared of anything…" Krillin tried to explain. Selena shook her head.

"If one isn't afraid of anything…one cannot possibly exist. We all have something to fear. Even Cell is afraid of something…"

^

He was angry.

No matter how hard he had searched the remains of Jingle Village, he couldn't find Eugene. The gypsy probably ran off into the snow-covered distance where he would most likely die from frostbite. Cell let the kid go. His purpose was fulfilled, and he no longer needed the boy. 

Meanwhile, Cell busied himself with the forest around him. He could remember reports from the Red Ribbon Army from long ago when they were searching for the local dragonball. A few disposable men were sent to look through these woods but they never returned. The cold of the snow couldn't have gotten them, Cell had left all that behind a mile or so ago. Written in the report were also rumors that the forest was haunted. Cell had to snort in disbelief at that.

__

The natives called this place the "Haunted Woods…"

Why do humans make up such fairy tales to explain what they can't understand?

Why can't they explain what causes the "impossible?"

It's downright disgusting…

He closed his eyes for a minute as he walked. His stomping footsteps were starting to drown out the other forest noises around him.

KT-CH…KT-CH…KT-CH…

__

I can just barely feel Selena and Krillin ahead of me…

It might have been a mistake to let them have the head start…

Searching for that damned Eugene wasted a lot of my energy.

I'll have to absorb the three of them to get it all back…

KT-CH…KT-CH…KT-CH…

__

"Scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit…"

"What the…" Cell gasped aloud, stopping in his tracks. He looked around the area, seeing only trees and underbrush surrounding him. He was fairly sure he heard something moving around in the underbrush, and it was making a strange kind of squeaking sound. After a few minutes, he didn't hear anything else and he continued walking.

__

How strange…

^

"Whoops…" Selena gasped, almost tripping to the ground. She lifted her caught foot to see what snagged her pants, which left her hopping around on her other foot. Her caught foot seemed to be held in mid air, as though whatever grabbed her was invisible. She snarled at the sight.

"What in the world…" Krillin wondered, reaching out to hold Selena's foot.

"Don't touch it!" she snapped in warning. She held her foot out into a ray of sunlight, and it revealed silvery hairs trapped around her leg. Careful not to touch, Sakura admired the strands.

"Pretty!" she cried. 

"It looks like silver." Krillin observed as Selena poked the strands off her with her staff. She freed her leg and brushed her staff against a nearby tree to remove the strands from that too.

"Spider webbing." She explained. "I forgot all about the spiders…"

"Spiders?!" Sakura cried in fear, hiding behind Krillin. "Where?! I hate spiders!"

"It's okay." Selena chuckled at the girl. "We probably won't see any while we're in here. They're real shy, but they're not all that hard to miss." She kept walking along the path. "Let's try to stay in the middle of the path, so that we don't accidentally step in a web."

"Musta been a big spider to make something like that." Krillin pointed out, walking behind her and holding Sakura's trembling hand.

"Not too big." Selena shook her hand, holding a flat palm out to him. "Really small. Probably about the size of my hand." Krillin's eyes went wide in shock.

"WAAA! You call that really small?!"

"Yep." Selena nodded. "I've seen spiders that came up to my thigh. Scares the hell out of me too, Sakura." She smiled at the child as Sakura suddenly shot her a hateful stare.

"Selena-san! No bad words!" Sakura scolded.

"It's not a bad word…" Selena shook her head.

"But you don't say it!"

"She's a cute kid, isn't she, Krillin?" Selena laughed.

"So, how much farther to the Sacred City?" Krillin changed the subject.

"Just on the other side of the forest." Selena directed, pointing ahead. "It's not far now. We should be out of the forest before dark."

^

Sakura soon brought up the dreaded question.

"Are we there yet?"

"Half way there." Selena answered, looking down at the child in annoyance. "Soon, okay?" Selena hated that question, but she let Sakura get away with it since she was just a kid. She looked up through the canopy of the trees at the sun. It was directly above them, which meant it was noontime. Through the rays of the sun, she could also see a split second gleam of spider threads. She didn't see any of the monstrous arachnids, so she was thankful for that. 

Then, she heard a very curious sound ahead of her…

"Bruuu…bruuu…"

" 'Cuu, cuu?' " Selena wondered to herself, quickening her pace. Krillin hurried after her.

"Koo koo? Sounds like what you're going." He commented dryly. "What's up now?"

"If I'm right…" Selena muttered, "then that sound was a…" She quickly hid behind a thick tree trunk and peeked around it. "I was right. Quick guys, look at this!"

"What is it?" Krillin wondered, peeking around the other side of the tree trunks. He saw a very strange but amazing sight. It was a gigantic bird, probably the size of a horse, standing on two legs and covered in butter yellow feathers. It looked like an ostrich auditioning for the role of Big Bird from Sesame Street.

"It's a Chocobo." Selena introduced. "They're native to the Irish territory, which means we've passed the border." She turned to Krillin and Sakura. "You two stay here for a moment, okay?" Then she got down on all fours and began creeping towards the bird. 

"Is she going to catch it?" Krillin blinked. The giant bird's legs looked rather strong and probably gave it a lot of speed. Selena quickly crawled into the underbrush until she couldn't be seen. 

There was a few minutes pause.

The Chocobo didn't seem to know that something was stalking it. It was pecking away at a tree root with a hunk of green moss growing on it.

Then…

"Bruuu…Bruuu…" came a human sounding chirp.

The Chocobo looked towards Selena's hiding place. Krillin could see a branch loaded with bright red berries inching towards the bird from where Selena had last disappeared. The giant bird first looked around to see if there was another Chocobo around, then it stepped towards the berry filled branch and started pecking away at it. Selena slowly came out of hiding, feeding the Chocobo the branch she was holding. The bird seemed to trust her completely, gathering berries from the branch. Selena carefully patted the bird's head and scratched behind it's ears. 

"Bruuu-ii-uuuu!" the Chocobo chirped happily. Then Selena looped a makeshift pair of reigns over its head and in its beak. It didn't seem to mind at all. Selena motioned with her hand for the others to come out of hiding.

"WOW!" Sakura yelled happily, running from behind the tree. "It's so cute!" This noisy entrance startled the bird.

"WARK!" it shrieked noisily, trying to run away. Selena held tight onto the reigns, keeping it in one place.

"Whoa there, girl! It's okay!" she tried to soothe. She ended up wrestling the giant bird to the ground, pinning it under her body and gently stroking its beak to calm it. When it was calm again, she let it back up. "That was close." She breathed.

"I'm sorry." Sakura mumbled sadly, sensing she was in trouble. Selena smiled at her.

"That's okay. Chocobos are rather skittish creatures, so catching one is hard. I've had lots of experience myself. My dad used to own a Chocobo farm, so I know all the tips and tricks."

"You never told us any of this." Krillin scolded playfully, petting the bird's stomach. It felt like a down pillow!

"I didn't think you'd be interested." Selena shrugged. Suddenly, she put a hand behind the bird's long neck, and hoisted herself onto its back. She straddled it as though it was a horse, and the bird straightened itself. She gripped the reigns and smiled at her party below. "She can take us to the other side of the forest. It'll be quicker, and there's a good chance we won't run into any spiders."

"Yay!" Sakura cheered. 

"Sounds like a plan." Krillin smiled in approval. "Let's go." They both helped Sakura take a seat in front of Selena, and Krillin made himself comfortable behind Selena. 

"Okay, we're off!" Selena announced, cracking the reigns of the Chocobo.

"Bruuu…" the bird chirped, then took off at a fast speed. Krillin had to hug his arms around Selena's waist to stay on. Selena and Sakura laughed in excitement, as though they were on a roller coaster. They all thundered down the path, watching the trees become blurs of brown and green around them.

It would have been no time at all until they got to the edge of the forest…

^

…but they had to stop when the Chocobo wanted to rest its tired feet. They clambered off its back and sat down by the base of a nearby tree. The Chocobo found another bush of berries and started pecking away at it. Sakura sat next to Selena, and Selena threaded her arm over the girl's shoulders. Krillin took a spot by another tree not too far away.

"I was wondering, Selena…" Krillin started to say. She looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"Well, how could this forest see into us and know what we fear?"

"That doesn't matter." Selena insisted. "As long as you're with me, you won't see a thing."

"Yeah, I know. But how does it do it when there's no guardian around?"

Selena leaned her head back on the tree in thought.

"It's a bit of a mystery." She admitted. "But my master, Mimic-san, once told me…well, this won't make sense when you hear it…but she said that there weren't ghosts in this forest. She said the forest was the ghost."

"Huh?" Krillin and Sakura said together.

"How is that possible?" Krillin pressed. "This whole forest can't be alive?"

"It's possible." Selena nodded. "The guardians of old had strange powers that could let them do anything. They could have created this forest to ward away those who weren't worthy of entering the Sacred City. Or this forest and the powers here have existed all along…this planet has many mysteries that we couldn't solve."

"I guess…" Krillin muttered, not getting the direct answer he wanted. "So, we just see what scares us most?"

"I've heard it can replay a whole nightmare before your eyes." Selena told him. "One minute you could be walking down the path, the next…you could find yourself in your house watching your family get murdered…or you could come across the monster that would chase you in your dreams…or something like that. I've never had it happen to me before."

"It's a creepy thought." Krillin agreed. "When does it happen?"

"Whenever." Selena shrugged. "But it always comes without warning. It goes away without warning too."

"Glad you're here to protect us." Krillin smirked, lounging against his tree.

"It's my job." Selena sighed in relaxation. She kept her eye on the Chocobo to make sure it didn't walk away as they were taking their break.

^

Cell continued walking on. Occasionally, he would hear that strange scurrying sound, or catch sight of a single hairy leg. He did his best to ignore the feeling that he was being watched and followed closely. He felt something shuffle his way from his neck down to his spine, but was relieved to discover that it was just a shiver. Something just didn't feel right with his surroundings. He didn't think someone was following him, he couldn't sense any ki. Plus, Selena and the others were just up ahead. All he had to do was sneak up on them and…

__

…ping…

He felt something else…and it was something he had been searching for his whole life.

__

It can't be…but it is…

It's them!

In excitement, he ran off the path and through the thick trees to the energy signal. It was soon that he saw the two people before him that he had looked high and low for.

"Android 17! Android 18!" he called. "Stay where you are! I'm coming!" The two people looked over their shoulders at him. They seemed unaffected by his presence as he walked to them, smiling. "There you two are. I have been looking all over for you. There is something very important we must discuss."

"Like what?" The speaker was male, so it must have been 17.

"Your future." Cell said to them, smirking smugly. "The both of you belong to me now."

"You are wrong." The female spoke. Of course it was 18. Cell chuckled at her.

"Oh, you resist now, but wait until you see what I have in store for you." His stare turned to 17. The android didn't flinch, and neither did 18. Cell walked towards 17. "Come to me, 17. Time to fulfill your destiny."

"We have no destiny." 17 suggested. "We are dead."

"Eh?" Cell blinked in surprise.

"That's right." 18 agreed. "We're dead. You're too late, Cell."

"What are you talking about?!" Cell demanded, reaching out to grab 17. "You're right here in front of me!" 

He was going to gather 17's face in his hand…

…but his claws went through the boy's head!

Cell couldn't believe his eyes. He felt afraid. He backed away a step from the androids, letting his hand fall from the transparent boy's face. They both turned fully around to face Cell.

"We are dead, Cell." 18 repeated. "We died long before you hatched."

"No…" Cell denied.

"We were killed by Trunks." 17 explained. "We have no destiny, just like you."

"No…"

"We are dead…and so are you."

"NO!" Cell denied. Suddenly, the world seemed to fall away from him, and he fell sharply through a blur of greens and browns. 

"You can't be dead! I have searched my whole life for you! I won't stop until I find you! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!"

Then, he landed sharply on his back. He quickly sat up and looked around. He was in the clearing he had run to and saw the androids in…but they were gone. He didn't see any sign of them. He relaxed and lay back down on the ground, trying to calm his quickly beating heart.

__

What happened?

That was them…

…wasn't it?

Weren't they the androids?

What did they mean that I had no destiny and that I was dead?

I'm alive! I have a destiny! I have a purpose…

He sat back up, trying to dismiss what happened.

__

I must be malfunctioning…the loss of energy is making me hallucinate…

I must find Selena…

He quickly got back up and walked back to the trail. When his feet finally touched the tilled earth, he sighed in relief. It was short lived, however, when he couldn't feel Selena or the others anymore.

They had moved father away from him. 

Growling in frustration, he started running after them.

__

I couldn't have been hallucinating for that long!

How did they get away so far so quickly?!

^

The Chocobo was probably running at the speed of a racing car. The world around them was becoming a blur. But since Selena was urging the bird to run so fast, they had to stop more and more often for it rest its feet. Sakura was having the time of her life, but each ride left Krillin shaking like he had just gotten off a very fast carnival ride. He just couldn't believe an animal like a Chocobo could go so fast. When he commented on it, Selena had to laugh.

"I should take you to see a Chocobo race then." She invited. "They move so fast that you can hardly see them. And they're bred to be different colors so that you can tell them apart." She patted her Chocobo on the head softly. "Yellow is much too common and dull."

During one of their rides through the forest, Selena suddenly made the Chocobo stop and the bird held still. Sakura looked up at her.

"What's wrong, Selena-san?" she wondered. Selena was looking up at the sky, and seemed frozen in shock. Krillin looked up too, confused. 

"Is it the spider webs?" he asked. He could see the silvery strands above their heads in the afternoon sun. Suddenly, Selena let out a scream, and covered her head with her arms.

"NO!" she shouted, batting something away over her head. It looked like she was trying to slap away something on top of her, but there was nothing. Krillin didn't see any spiders or their webs falling on her…what was happening?

Suddenly, she fell off the Chocobo backward and landed hard on the ground on her back. She quickly got up, trying to bat the unseen substance out of her hair. Then she started running away, still trying to shield her head with her arms. Krillin jumped from the Chocobo and ran after her.

"Selena! Come back!"

"What's wrong with her?!" Sakura shouted, not daring to get off the Chocobo's back.

The giant bird just picked some stray blades of grass on the ground, without a care in the world.

^

She saw the rain of blood storming down on her, just like in her nightmare. She had panicked, she just had to get away! She ran, covering her head, trying to keep the blood off her. Why was it raining blood?! What did it mean?! She couldn't accept it…she didn't want it…She couldn't stop screaming…

Suddenly, she tripped on something, and fell to the ground headfirst into a thick puddle of blood. She screamed even louder.

"Snap out of it!" she heard a rasp voice shout at her. Then suddenly, the blood disappeared, and she found herself lying on the dirt path of the forest. It wasn't raining blood, and nothing else for that matter. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and everything was dry. She blinked a couple of times, then carefully stood up.

"What…" she wondered.

"What did you think you were doing?" a voice asked her calmly yet firmly. Selena growled as she supported herself on her feet, and brushed dirt off her face and shirt.

"I can't quite explain it myself, Cell." She snarled. He was right behind her, but she didn't want to face him. She didn't want to keep her back to him either, so the most she could hope for was for him to go away. "Have you been seeing pink elephants lately?"

" 'Pink elephants?' " Cell snorted. "You take me for a drunkard?"

"Heh." Selena smirked. "No, I mean illusions. Hallucinations. Have you had any lately?"

"Why should I?"

"Well, you're not in the company of a guardian…and this forest tends to show you the thing you are scared of most."

"No wonder I haven't seen anything. I am scared of nothing."

"I figured you'd say that." Selena smirked. "So, what do you want with me now?" She turned around to face him, and he looked at her over his shoulder.

"You should know that by now, what I want." He turned fully around so that he was facing her. Selena quickly jumped up into a tree, landing on a branch.

"Yeah, I know what you want." She retorted, swinging her hips around seductively. "You want me…but you can't have me!" Cell frowned at that before jumping up after her. Selena quickly climbed further up the tree as Cell chased her up. Moving as though a tree was his natural territory, Cell moved up the tree in quick, flowing movements. He closed in on Selena, grabbing her ankle. She yelped as he pulled her down to him. She quickly grabbed a thick branch, and tried to pull her foot out of Cell's grasp. The moment she freed her foot, his tail shot foreword and wrapped around her neck then yanked her from the tree. Selena was hung by her neck, gasping for breath and kicking her feet desperately. Cell laughed at her. 

"Now I got you." He teased triumphantly. "I don't think you'll be so cocky around me again, now will you?" Selena tried to call for help, but she was losing air. She could feel her face turning blue…

^

"Oh my God!" Krillin cried in shock, seeing Selena hovering in the air as though something was holding her up. She looked like she was trying to strangle herself by grabbing her own throat. He quickly rushed up to her and harshly shook her shoulders. "Selena! What are you doing?!"

"K…Krillin…" Selena gasped, losing air fast. "Run…Cell…"

Then, Krillin knew what was happening.

"It's an illusion, Selena! You said it yourself, if you believe in it then it can kill you! Take your mind off it! Selena!"

Reason got to her. She mustered the strength she had left, and screamed out into the air.

"ILLUSION, BE GONE!"

Suddenly, she and Krillin fell to the ground. Selena's hands were sprawled out at her sides and she was gasping heavily. Krillin hovered over her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She looked up at him, slightly dazed.

"All the blood's rushing to my head." She moaned. Then, she slowly sat up and supported her head with one hand. "Krillin, what happened?"

"You saw an illusion." He tried to explain. "But it looked like you were trying to kill yourself." She turned her head to him.

"But I don't understand. I'm a guardian, how can I get illusions? I'm suppost to be protected by my sacred aura…"

"Selena-san!" Sakura called as she rode into the scene on the Chocobo. "What happened?" Selena smiled and carefully stood up.

"I'm fine." She suggested. "C'mon, let's keep going." She walked toward the Chocobo.

"Hey, I got it!" Krillin exclaimed as he climbed up the giant bird with Selena. "A guardian needs to be present to keep others from seeing mirages, right?"

"Well, yeah." Selena nodded, making herself comfortable.

"But what about the guardian?" Krillin continued. "Maybe he or she is using the aura to protect the other people, but not him or her self. So, out of the three of us, you're the one who's having the illusions."

"I…guess." Selena shrugged. Then, she smiled as she gently spurred the Chocobo into a trot. "You know quite a bit about being a guardian, Krillin. Where do you learn this stuff?"

"I didn't learn anything." Krillin admitted, feeling foolish. "I don't even know what I just said."

^

"That's odd…I could have sworn I heard Selena screaming up ahead…"

Cell thought to himself again as he walked along the forest trail after Selena and the others. Ahead of him, in the dirt trail, he could see tracks of a bird no bigger than he was, but he had no idea what they were. Dr. Gero's computer didn't teach him about this kind of wildlife. The strangest creatures were living in this forest…

Then, he felt something on his head. It felt like many strands of hair. He looked up above him in the canopy. He could see many silvery threads laced through the tree branches, and a few of them were caught in his headcrest. They appeared to be spider threads. Growling, he brushed the strands off his head, but they stuck to his hand and wrist. Snarling, he ripped his hand away from the strands. A large hole was torn in the web, and many of the sticky threads were still attached to Cell's hand. 

"Disgusting." He dryly commented, wiping his hand back and forth on a tree trunk. The threads still wouldn't come off of his hand. "…and strange…"

__

"Scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit…"

Cell froze. The sound came from directly behind him.

"What in…" Cell wondered silently as he turned around. "What was that sound…" Then, he saw it behind him, and he became paralyzed.

^

****

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Selena, Sakura, and Krillin looked behind them at the sound of the scream. Several birds from the canopies flew away as the sound blew over the land like wind. Selena blinked a few times in confusion.

"Was that Cell?"

"It sounded like him." Krillin shrugged. 

"Why was he screaming?" Sakura wondered. Selena snickered.

"I'll bet he's seeing illusions. C'mon, let's get out of here before he snaps out of it." She spurred the Chocobo sharply. "HAH!" 

"Bruuuu…" the bird cooed, taking off at a gallop. Trees became blurs in the background as they sped down the trail. Suddenly, Selena seemed to be thrown off from the seat of the Chocobo. As she wondered what knocked her off the saddle, Krillin and Sakura screamed.

"Another illusion!" Krillin panicked.

"Huh?" Selena blinked. She looked around her. She seemed to be held up in the air by something invisible. She blinked again. "What in the…" Then she noticed something shimmer by her hand. A silvery strand wrapped around her arm. A spider thread.

"Are you okay, Selena?" Krillin called. Selena nodded.

"Yeah. Just a spider web. Hey, can you get me down, please?" 

"Sure." Krillin agreed, jumping off the Chocobo and flying up to Selena. Suddenly, two long, thin spider legs poked through the above leaves followed by a massive oval shaped body and more thin legs. Krillin froze in the air, and shivered. "Oh my God…"

"What?" Selena asked, looking up. She was staring at two, bone white fangs and eight garnet eyes staring back at her. She couldn't help herself, womanly instinct took over.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The giant spider grabbed her, and hoisted her up into the trees. 

"SELENA!" Krillin yelled. Sakura was left paralyzed on the Chocobo's back, not able to even make a sound or move a finger. She was scared stiff. 

Krillin shivered as Selena's feet were hauled into the leaves.

"Oh man…now what do I do…"

Selena's screams were echoing through the whole forest…

^

She couldn't stop screaming as she was pulled into the canopy and set on a huge mass of threads that seemed to form a hammock. Her hair and back were stuck to the threads, preventing her from trying to sit up. She started calming down as the spider let her go and skittered away.

__

"Scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit…"

Selena just breathed heavily as though she had escaped another strangling. She was scared to death. That spider was as big as her! They couldn't have gotten that big…

Getting back her wits, she took a breath and called down to the forest floor below.

"Krillin, can you hear me?!"

"Selena!" he cried out in relief. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." She called back. "I'm stuck, but I'll try to free myself. Stay with Sakura, okay? Let me know if you seen any sign of Cell."

"Selena, you've been grabbed by a giant spider with fangs the size of your head, and you're still worried about Cell?"

"Hey, Cell is more dangerous than these things!" she called down. "Even in groups, they don't stand a chance against…"

" 'Groups?' " Krillin squeaked in fear.

"Yes, groups. The smaller ones travel in groups until they get big enough to hunt on their own. Krillin, just stay down there with Sakura and keep an eye out for Cell. I'll be right down." Selena quickly fished her pocket knife out of her pants pocket, and carefully cut away the webbing around her. She fixed her setting so that she could at least stand up.

"Me not worried about the spiders…" she grumbled to herself as she cut webbing carefully from her legs. "C'mon, not even a hoard of little ones can take him down. He's the most dangerous thing in these woo…what the…?" She saw something green with black spots nearby, and she sat up a little straighter to see what exactly it was. Yes, it was Cell, but his arms and legs were bound by thousands of spider threads, and he appeared to be unconscious. She could also see hundreds of tiny red welts all over his body, marks where the smaller spiders had bitten him. 

Selena started to worry more about the spiders.

"Well, that takes care of that problem…" she sighed, grabbing a tree branch free of webbing over her head. She cut the webbing from her other leg and hoisted herself up the branch. She looked down at Cell. He wasn't moving at all. He couldn't have been dead, the spiders weren't poisonous. Their bites only paralyzed, so he must have been alright. She could only see movements from his closed eyes, and they were tightening together as though he was desperately keeping his eyes shut. Selena wondered if he was awake…

"Hey!" she called down to him. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine!" she heard Krillin call from below. "No sign of spiders or Cell! What about you?"

Cell slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Selena. He seemed to be in a daze.

"I'm fine, Krillin!" Selena called back. "But I wasn't talking to you!"

"Huh?" Krillin wondered. "Is there someone else up there?"

"Yeah." Selena answered. She wasn't sure if she should say who. Cell's eyes seemed to get watery, as though he was about to cry. He didn't seem to be looking at Selena, but rather staring out into space.

She started feeling really bad.

__

I really should leave him here…he deserves it after what he did to all those people…

But…

Why can't I just abandon him?

She stared through the branches.

__

I can just climb down without alerting any more spiders…

We're almost out of the forest…

Cell will be dead and eaten by the time we're at the Sacred City…

So why can't I move away from him…

How come I can't leave him like this?

She growled.

__

God damn it!

She used the branches above her to climb as close as she could to Cell. She was going to try and help him. Being a guardian, she couldn't let anyone, no matter how evil, die like this. She stopped her climbing when she was directly over him. She wrapped her legs around the thick branch and slowly lowered her body down, staying off the webbing. She held her pocket knife in one hand and gently touched Cell's shoulder with her other hand.

"Hey," she gently said, "are you alright?"

He began blinking his eyes as though he had snapped out a trance and began to turn his head.

"Stay still!" she hissed. He froze. "If you move or touch the threads, they'll sense it." Cell made a determined face that would have went well with a nod. "Okay, hold still. I'm going to get you out."

"Why bother?" he asked. "You want me dead, so why not leave me here?"

"It's against my code."

"Ah."

"Okay, here we go." Selena held onto Cell's closest arm for support and gently sawed away at the threads holding his wrists and hands. She freed his hand easily, and reached over to free his other hand. The branch holding her creaked from more weight as she leaned her knife over while putting her hand on Cell's chest for support. Cell held perfectly still. 

__

But I don't understand…what's the real reason for her to help me?

"How you feeling?" she asked him as she cut away his arm from the web.

"Why?"

"Is the poison in your system?"

"My body has released an antidote for the spider bites. I'll be fine."

"Okay, so you'll be able to make a fast get away?"

"I should."

"Cool." 

After freeing his hand, she carefully leaned down to his legs, and started cutting away at the threads around his feet. She heard a small snap from her branch, and looked up at it. It was starting to break off. She growled at it, and freed Cell's foot. She looked at his other foot, it was too far away for her to reach without breaking the branch. She looked at Cell.

"If you get up slowly, you should be able to untangle your foot."

He smiled at her.

"Thanks."

"Shut up and get out of my sight." She groaned, pulling herself up the branch. "I'm outta here."

CRACK!

The branch snapped and fell, taking Selena with it. She fell on the web, tearing it from the branches supporting it. Cell was dragged down with her. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

They both screamed as they plummeted through the canopy, but they stopped before they could hit the forest floor. Selena just saw a split second of Krillin, Sakura, and the Chocobo a ways away before the last supports of the webbing tossed them back up into the canopy like a bungee cord. 

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Suddenly, they were stuck to the higher branches of the canopy as though they were stuck to fly paper. Cell pulled one arm out of the webbing surrounding him and tried to free the rest of his body.

"They're coming!" Selena cried, seeing a black wave of hand-sized spiders scurrying towards them. She turned her head to the android. "Cell, can you free your tail?"

"Yes…" he groaned under strain. The webbing that held them to the branches had become thicker as it was bunched together during the plummet. His tail wiggled free, and pointed menacingly at the spiders. "Now what?" Selena turned her head up to where a thick branch was rooted to a tree trunk. She pointed at it the best she could.

"Can you break that off?" He looked at it.

"Sure." He decided. His tail struck the base of the branch, and it snapped easily. Once again, they fell through the canopy.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

But once again, they were stopped just before they could hit the ground on their faces. Selena just heard Krillin cry out "What the hell is going on?" before she and Cell were launched back into the canopy.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then, they felt something grabbing them. Selena could see a long spider leg wrapping around her waist, and she screamed bloody murder. Cell felt panic as another leg held his legs together and another nearly touched his head. What was happening?

Selena judged by the size of the legs that the spider must have been the exact size and length as an average sized car! She went pale. How could these creatures grow to be so big? She turned her head through the branches she was attached to and saw one garnet eye the size of her head staring back at her. Seven more were somewhere on its head. She quickly turned her head back around with a frightened squeak. What now?

__

"Scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit-scrit…"

Then, the flood of spiders surrounded the canopy area. Palm-sized arachnids were crawling up trees and adventuring out to several branches. Many of them hung down from threads from their spinnerets in front of her face, and many more dropped from beyond her. They were absolutely surrounded. Selena clutched the pocketknife still in her hand. There was no way to fight them all. It would have been suicide to try. She turned her head to Cell. His eyes were closed in thought. He was trying to come up with an escape plan.

A voice spoke. It was low, and it could barely be heard.

"So…you…are…the…guardian…"

It came directly from behind Selena. She turned her head again up to the one garnet eye staring at her through the branches. Was the spider talking to her?

Since when did they talk?

She couldn't do anything except answer.

"Y-yes…"

"Gooooooooooood." The voice murmured softly. It was indeed, the spider. "We…need…a…guardian…here…"

"Why?" Cell demanded. "What good is she to you?"

"Siiiiiiilence…my…supper…" the spider hissed loudly. Cell blinked at that remark as the spider continued. "Guardian…stay…with…us… Stay…and…protect…usssssssss…"

"What's wrong?" she asked with little concern. "Is there something bothering you? Who are you?"

"I…am…Elder…" the spider introduced. "My…children…are…suffering… They…see…horrible…things… They…see…their…mates…eating…them… They…see…their…children…being…eaten… They…see…many…bad…things… But…you…guardian…can…save…them… Stay… Keep…the…visions…away…"

"I can't…" Selena shook her head. "I have to go to the Sacred City. I can't stay to protect you."

"Yoooooooooou…must…stay…" Elder begged. "Keep…my…children…safe… The…forest…sees…within…us…all…"

"It sees within me too!" Selena argued back. "Sure, you and your…uh…" she looked around at all the spiders, "…uh, family will be fine, but I'll get those visions my self. I won't be fine!"

"What?" Cell looked at Selena. "You had visions too?"

"…" She couldn't answer him right now.

"We…do…not…care…about…you…" Elder stated. "You…will…stop…the…visions… You…will…save…us…"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Never!" she barked. "I hate spiders!"

"I've had enough of this!" Cell hissed. "Let us go…NOW!" 

His tail stabbed into Elder's underbelly, and the spider seemed to shriek loud in pain. Selena screamed, not able to block the sound out of her ears with her hands. Elder unwrapped his legs and leg go of the branches. Cell and Selena were still hanging in the air. Their supports of webbing and branches were held in the air by threads from Elder's spinneret. Cell turned his head towards the threads holding them up.

__

"Bree, bree…bree…"

Selena heard strange beeping noises as Cell's eyes lit up a red color.

"What…"

Suddenly, two lasers shot from his eyes and cut the strings. Their support of branches and webbing once again fell from the canopy, but this time, hit the forest floor.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…OOF!"

"Ow…" Selena commented dryly. She tried to get up, but she was still trapped under the branches and webbing and couldn't move. Cell beat her to another idea.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He powered up his yellow aura, and the branches and webbing disintegrated. They both stood up, and breathed sighs of relief. 

"Phew." Selena puffed. "I'm glad that's over with…"

"Selena-san!" she heard Sakura calling nearby.

"Selena!" Krillin's call followed. Selena looked at Cell.

"I guess I owe you a 'thank you.' " she moaned.

"No." he shook his head. "Thank you." He turned to leave. "Uh…"

"What?" Selena wondered. Cell nervously pointed to the tree trunks above them. Selena could see swarms of spiders crawling down them, after Selena and Cell. Selena glowered at the spiders, and took off running without saying anything more to Cell. Cell took off in the opposite direction.

__

Oh, forget about collecting energy from her! I'll use what I can to get away from these damn spiders!

Selena soon found herself running towards the Chocobo with Selena and Krillin still near it.

"We're getting out of here now!" she announced, jumping on the Chocobo's back and grabbing the make-shift reigns. "Hya! C'mon, go!"

"WARK!" the Chocobo squealed, taking off like a bullet right out the gun barrel. It kept squealing through the whole ride in fear of the spiders chasing them. "WARK! WARK! WARK!"

"We're almost out of here!" Selena laughed as a road sign came into view before quickly leaving them behind with the rest of the scenery. The sign had read:

END OF FOREST

1 MILE

"Hey Selena?" Krillin looked up at the guardian.

"Yeah, Krillin?"

"When we leave the Sacred City, let's take the mountain route, okay?"

Selena smiled.

"Okay."

In almost no time at all, the Haunted Woods was left behind them. It was only a few hours trip to go until they reached the Sacred City at last.

****

To Be Continued!

END OF EPISODE BONUS!

The beginning theme of Act 1 can be found on the short story "Unholy Crusade: Typical Tokyo Love Story." Here's the ending theme, Ayumi Hamasaki's "Poker Face."

****

Poker Face

Itsu datte naku kurai kantan dakedo Waratte itai  
Anata no ai ga hoshii yo  
  
HONTO no jibun no sugata ga sukoshi zutsu boyake dashiteru  
Oshiyoseru hitonami no naka Kotae dasenai mama sagashite ita  
USO ya iiwake jouzu ni naru hodo munashisa ni kowaku naru yo  
  
Itsu datte naku kurai kantan dakedo Waratte itai  
Tsuyogatte tara yasashisa sae Wasurechau kara sunao ni naritai  
Anata no ai ga hoshii yo  
  
Hito wa minna itsu datte hitori bocchina iki MONO  
Dakara sou dareka ga hitsuyou Sasae raretakute sasaete itakute  
Tashikana MONO wa nani mo nai keredo Shinjiteru kokoro ga aru  
  
Taisetsuna MONO wa hitotsu mitsuke raretara mamori toosou  
Takasugiru kabe butsukattara KIZU wo ottara mata tateba ii  
Hoka ni wa nani mo nozomanai kara Tatta hitotsu sore dake de ii  
Anata no ai ga hoshii yo

****

Translation

Although it's possible to cry at any time,  
I hope I can wait with a smile  
I need your love

My mind is starting to be blurred,  
couldn't I get the answer in a crowd but I'm still looking for it  
Telling lies is as good as saying excuses, at the same time,  
I'm feeling panic

Although it's possible to cry at any time,  
I hope I can wait with a smile  
Being strengthened will let you to forget everything even the kindness,  
I hope I can back to the real life  
So, open your heart  
I need your love

Whatever, human is a lonely living thing  
Therefore when someone needs help, I wish I can do for him  
Although it's not so meaningful,  
at least we have a heart of trust

If you find something you like you must keep loving them till the end  
Falling and hurting yourself when you leap, that's enough if you stand up after recovery  
I don't have any other wishes, but the only one is:  
I need your love


	10. The Great Gospel, Part 1

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 10: The Great Gospel, Part 1

Author's Note: I got the Imperfect Cell DVD's! Yay! They are helping me very much with new study material for Cell. Now that I've seen the Japanese version of the Imperfect Cell saga so far, I can improve Cell's performance in Unholy Crusade. You might notice that he's being more dramatic than usual. **shrugs** I dunno, maybe he's trying to impress Selena. Well, let's see how this works out. Read on and enjoy!

__

Last chapter…

"Hey Selena?" Krillin looked up at the guardian.

"Yeah, Krillin?"

"When we leave the Sacred City, let's take the mountain route, okay?"

Selena smiled.

"Okay."

In almost no time at all, the Haunted Woods was left behind them. It was only a few hours trip to go until they reached the Sacred City at last.

^

The sun had completely set, and the sky was littered with stars. There was barely any light to see by, but still Selena kept the Chocobo running across the open plains. There was practically nothing around them for miles, but that didn't bother her. She knew that the Sacred City was just ahead. She was so close to arriving, and she wasn't about to give up now. Her scar felt fine, which meant that Cell was very far behind and she was home free!

Krillin and Sakura kept quiet. Krillin was just thankful to be out of the Haunted Woods while Sakura was still in shock of seeing the biggest spiders in her life. About half way in the trip, she finally came out of shock and started crying. Selena smiled in understanding and slowed the Chocobo down to a walk.

"Bruuu-ii-uuuu!" the giant bird chirped as it stopped, then continued at a slow walk. Selena wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tight in comfort.

"Don't worry." She calmed. "We won't have to go through there again. We'll stay at the city, and we'll be safe." She looked ahead of her at the steady horizon. "I'll probably have to warn the guys about the spider's intents. They'll be grabbing for every guardian they see…"

"Hey, Selena?" Krillin spoke up. She turned her head to him.

"Yeah, Krillin?"

"Not to bug you or anything, but how much father is the Sacred City now?"

"Not much father." Selena promised. "It should be coming into view soon. You can't miss it. There's some cliffsides around it. It's completely surrounded by walls of rock except for the entrance. We'll be out of view as well as out of reach."

"Sounds good." Krillin moaned. Selena patted Sakura's back a few times, and the child started to calm down. After Sakura had quieted down, Selena spurred the Chocobo back into a gallop.

"Hya!"

"Bruuu!" it cooed, then took off at a speedy pace. Selena still kept one arm around Sakura while holding the reigns of the giant bird in her other hand. Krillin hugged Selena's waist to keep from falling off. He smiled to himself with the knowledge that they would be safe at the home plate soon, and Cell would never be able to touch them. 

"Ow…" Selena moaned as her left arm twitched slightly. Her scars were starting to swell, and she scowled at them. Krillin looked at her arm, and gasped.

"He's coming…" 

"Don't worry about it." Selena encouraged with a triumphant grin. "We're almost there. He won't catch us in time." She remained confident for another few miles. Then, she cried in relief at a welcome sight ahead of them. "There it is! I can see the peaks of the cliffs now!"

Krillin and Sakura saw them too! Three large jabs of clifftops were peeking from the horizon as if to see who was approaching its underground burrow. Selena roared in victory.

"YEAH!"

"ALRIGHT!" Krillin and Sakura celebrated. Selena's arm was hurting even more, but she ignored it. It appeared as though he would never get them now!

"You're too late, Cell!" Selena cried out cockily into the sky. "We can go faster than you can run, so there! HA!"

"You can't go faster than I can fly!" Cell's voice shouted from far behind them. Selena turned around in horror. She saw him behind them. He was only a hundred feet away, but she could see that his wings were fanned out and his feet weren't touching the ground. He was flying!

__

Crap, I forgot! She thought in horror. _He flies faster than he could run!_

He was quickly gaining on them! In a few seconds he was only ten feet away. She growled, and pulled on the reigns sharply.

"DAMN YOU!" she cried, steering the bird to the right to try and outmaneuver him. But by that time he was right behind her, and he snapped his tail at the bird's neck like a whip.

"WARK!"

The bird squawked in pain, and fell to the ground hard on its side. Its three passengers were knocked off its back, and they fell on top of each other. The frightened bird quickly got up and ran in a random direction just so long as it was far away from Cell. Selena pushed herself up to a crouch and snarled at Cell angrily. Krillin and Sakura cowered behind her in fear.

"Oh no…" Sakura whimpered.

"Great…" Krillin moaned. "What do we do now?"

"What else?!" Selena growled quietly. Cell chuckled at her, knowing what she wanted to do. She grabbed her staff, and pulled it from the sheathe on her back. "You're looking well, Cell. I see you've completely recovered from all those spider bites."

He stopped chuckling and glowered.

"Don't bring that up again." He warned calmly.

"Okay." She shrugged. "It's not something I want to remember either."

"Why are you making small talk with him?!" Krillin hissed in whisper. "What are you, nuts?!" She and Cell ignored him.

"Before we begin…" Cell halted Selena's attempt to jump and attack. He held out both of his hands, and showed her the palms and backs of his hands as though he was going to perform a magic trick. 

__

He's teasing me… Selena growled in her head. _What is this moron up to?_

He cupped his hands as though he was holding something. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he produced Selena's capsule case. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, which just made Cell smirk.

"You dropped this back at Jingle Village. Or rather, your friend Eugene dropped it." Then, he let it go, and it clambered at his feet. "And now that I've dropped it, it's yours." He lowered his voice dramatically. "So come and get it."

"You snake!" She shouted. She knew better than to go get it. She clutched her staff with both hands, and aimed the jewel end at him. He wasn't effected. 

"I don't see what you're waiting for." He shrugged. "Come and get it. What's wrong, you do want it back, don't you? All your supplies are in it."

"Goddamn bastard!" 

Sakura clutched the back of Selena's shirt in fear, much to scared to remind Selena to watch her language. Selena turned to Sakura in worry. She took one hand off her staff to pry Sakura off.

"Sakura-chan, let go."

"Selena-san!" Sakura cried. "I'm scared!"

"OH MY GOD!" Krillin suddenly cried out in fear.

****

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

The wind under Cell's wings buzzed in Selena's ears as he charged. She barely had time to turn her head fully around when he punched her in the face. She was ripped out of Sakura's hands and flung twenty feet away. Cell flew over Krillin and Sakura's heads after Selena, only interested in the young woman. Krillin held Sakura protectively in his arms, only able to watch Selena defend herself.

__

I wish there was something I can do, Selena…

I'm sorry…

I don't think I even got the chance to tell you…

^

"Damn, that hurt…" Selena groaned as she tried to stand up. She managed to push herself onto one knee before she felt one of Cell's feet slam into her face and knock her back down. She tumbled a few more feet away.

"Oof! Ow! Oof! Ouch! Eech! Ooh!" Then she came to a stop on her back. "Aw, dammit!" She brought her knees up to her chest and brought them back down to jump up standing. She lost her staff again! She couldn't see it in the plain grasses! Once again hopeless…

__

I wish I could fire ki blasts without my staff…

Then, she realized that Cell hadn't attacked her yet. She looked around for him, but he seemed to disappear. She checked the skies first, and didn't see him up there. That meant he was hiding somewhere in the plain grasses. She looked at Krillin and Sakura. They seemed father away than she last remembered.

"Where did he go?!" she shouted to them.

"Somewhere right in front of you!" Krillin called back. "What should we do?"

"Keep going to the Sacred City!" she shouted, waving her hand in that direction. "Tell the people I'm out here! They'll send help! Just go!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Cell proposed behind her. She turned just in time to see him pop up behind her and chop her to the ground. She fell into the grasses, and decided to use them as her cover and crawl away to a new location. Cell laughed at her.

"Trying to use one of my tricks against me? Sorry, my dear, but you're much too sloppy. I can see the grasses moving as you move. It's a dead give away."

"Dammit!" Selena cried. Helpless, she jumped out of the grass, and lunged for Cell with a fist ready. He saw it coming, and blocked her punch aimed at his face easily. He held her fist in one hand, and used his other hand to jab her harshly in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her, and she was defenseless. He let go of her fist, letting her hover in the air for a few seconds, then he upper-cutted her chin. She began to fall backwards quickly. She expected to hit ground, but…

…so quick, not even Cell could track it…

…his tail whipped foreword…

…Selena's fall was suddenly broken…

…a small cry of pain escaped her lips along with a slight trail of blood…

…her eyes widened for a moment before her eyelids squeezed shut…

…Cell's tail had stabbed right in the middle of her back, and held her in place in the air. It only took half a second.

It took a couple more seconds for Selena to cry out in unimaginable pain…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

…and for Krillin and Sakura to realize what had happened.

"NO!"

^

Cell was cackling like the madman he was. He got her! He finally got her! He had the opportunity to absorb her soul!

He wasn't sure if he should or not…

After she finished screaming, she breathed in and out heavily. It felt like someone had stabbed a hot poker right into her back and her insides were on fire. She was starting to sweat from the tension. Her mind was completely blank, all she knew was pain. She struggled hard to keep her wits about her, but all her concentration was on her pain. She had no idea what to do.

Cell playfully put his fingers over his beak as though he was in thought.

"Hmmm…I finally have you right where I want you…but what should I do with you…?"

She gritted her teeth, wincing in pain. Cell's words were helping her return her common sense. She wanted to scream at him to just kill her and make the pain stop. She kept herself under control, and managed to open her eyes and raise her head. It was incredibly hard. He must have struck a nerve…maybe even broke her back…

"Don't…even…think about it!" she managed to say. Cell blinked at her a few times.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't absorb you, Selena."

She grinned at the challenge. She had a very good reason.

"Remember, back in the woods…with…the spiders…"

He frowned at her. 

"You said you weren't going to bring that up again."

"Do…you remember?!"

"Of course I do."

"You owe me!" Selena shouted. "I saved you! So you owe me one!"

Cell thought about that for a moment. He saw her point, and laughed at it. 

"Huh?" Selena wore a face of fear as Cell smirked at her. It was his "I'm-going-to-kill-you-now" smirk.

"Do you really think I'm bound to your human devotions? Silly Selena, you forget I am nothing close to human. So I owe you one to save your life? I don't care. It doesn't matter to me."

"God…damn…"

"Too bad…" Cell pitied. "Can't you think of a good reason?"

Selena tried to think…

"Selena, hold on!" Krillin called, rushing towards them. Cell sharply turned his head to the charging monk.

"Stay back!" Cell hissed.

GRUUUP!

Cell's tail sucked on Selena's ki once, and it was enough to make her scream out again, only louder.

****

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Krillin's feet skidded on the ground until he stopped. He narrowed his eyes and gnashed his teeth at Cell, feeling afraid and helpless. Cell laughed at him.

"Come any closer, and I continue to feed." He warned.

Selena would have made a smart remark about his habit of taking hostages, but she was in too much pain. The fire had suddenly turned into a biting cold. She felt cold all over, like she was slowly being devoured by ice. This was pain that she couldn't free herself from. She kept her eyes squinted shut, and her breathing labored.

__

So this is what he does…he'll suck everything from me, and I'll only be a pile of clothes…just like those people…

"Let her go!" Krillin shouted desperately. Cell shook his head from side to side, still keeping his grin. Krillin balled his hands into fists. "I'll fight you for her!" He quickly struck a fighting stance, ready to do anything for Selena. Again, Cell shook his head. 

__

Think, Krillin, think! I gotta save her! But how…

Wait a minute…

"I…I'll come closer!" Krillin threatened.

"I just warned you not to." Cell said plainly. "Or else…"

GRUUUP!

****

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Selena screamed again, feeling even colder than before. Krillin clenched his fists tighter.

__

I'm sorry, Selena…

"You don't want to kill her, Cell!" Krillin shouted at the android. "Remember? You said that in Curry! You want to keep her alive! If I come closer, and you kill her, then what will you do?"

Cell saw Krillin's point, and blinked at him a few times. He looked puzzled. Selena managed to calm down upon hearing that, and turned her head to Krillin. 

"K…Krillin…" she moaned. Tears were starting to streak down her face from the pain. 

"…" Cell remained silent for a moment. Now what was he going to do?

Krillin clenched his fists even tighter, cutting into his palms and making them bleed. 

__

I'm really sorry, Selena. I'll let you kill me after all this is over…

Krillin started to walk foreword. Cell narrowed his eyes at the midget monk, not able to carry out his threat any further. Still holding Selena along the flat side of his tail, he started backing away from Krillin.

"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish…" Cell snarled at him, "…but I won't let you have your way. Now back off!"

"No." Krillin said firmly. He was scared as hell. What if Cell resorted to attacking him? Krillin would get kicked around like a football! But he had to save Selena somehow. Finally, deciding Krillin wouldn't push him around, Cell held his ground.

Fortunately, he didn't attack Krillin.

Unfortunately, he began to absorb Selena.

GRUUUP! GRUUUP! GRUUUP! GRUUUP…

****

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Selena was screaming at the top of her lungs in pain. She could feel the skin on her back sagging. Krillin was in fear, almost paralyzed. He had to do something!

His emotions got the best of him. He broke into a run towards Cell.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" 

Cell laughed as Krillin flung punches at his head, and dodged every single one effortlessly. Selena was still being absorbed, and she was squirming and screaming in horrible, icy cold pain. She just wanted to die! She never felt anything so painful in her life! She was ready to beg for death if she had to! She could feel her insides churning and stop working! Suddenly, she couldn't breathe, and her screaming fell to a hacking choke. Her lungs were gone! She could only hear Cell's horrible laughing!

__

Help…someone, help…

^

…ping…

Cell and Krillin felt something strange, and their fight stopped abruptly. Cell stopped absorbing Selena, leaving the girl choking for air desperately.

All time seemed to stop. There was hardly any sound or movement.

Then, Cell could see something moving in the distance. His eagle eyes could see a human several feet away walking towards them. It was a woman in her late forties, with long silver hair and not a wrinkle on her hauntingly beautiful face. She wore a brown cloak over her white gi and black shirt. She also wore black Chinese silk shoes on her feet, and strapped to her back was a ki staff. Cell had no idea who she was, but he suddenly felt afraid of her. He gasped silently, his eyes widened, and his body tensed.

__

Who is she? Why am I suddenly afraid of her?

His tail suddenly relaxed, and Selena was dropped to the ground on her face. Cell started taking steps backward in fear. He didn't like this woman. He didn't like how he frightened her. But, he didn't understand why he was frightened. She was just an old woman!

Then, the woman narrowed her eyes at Cell, and a pure white aura flared around her body, lifting her hair and lose folds of her cloak as though a strong wind was blowing around her. Cell understood now, and he cried out suddenly.

__

The sacred aura…just like Selena's…

The woman raised a hand, and flung her open palm at Cell while breathing like she was blowing out a candle. Cell was suddenly blown off his feet, knocked on his back several feet from Selena. Krillin watched in amazement.

"Whoa…what the…" he looked at the woman, and noticed that she was finally running to them. She stopped when she reached Sakura. The child was crying and sniffing in fear. The woman smiled, and knelt by the child.

"It's alright, young one." the woman calmed in an alto voice, just like a mother. She wrapped her arms tightly around the child. "You're safe now." Sakura calmed down, and hugged the woman back. Krillin ran to Selena's side.

"Selena!" he called, hovering over her. Her pupils were the size of pinpricks, staring up into nothing, and her breathing was extremely quick like she was running very fast. He didn't know what was happening to her. He looked over at the woman. "Hey! You gotta help her! Please!" The woman looked at him with soft, gray eyes. She lifted Sakura off the ground easily, and hurried to Krillin's side.

"Selena-chan…" the woman muttered. "I think she will be okay." She set Sakura down. "Here, take the child. She will need calming." Sakura was still crying, so Krillin gave her a comforting hug.

"It's okay." He tried to calm. "She said Selena will be okay. She'll be fine. We'll take her to a hospital, alright?"

"Is she hurt really bad?" the little girl sniffled.

Krillin was about to answer when he heard an enraged roar a few meters behind him. He and the old woman turned to Cell as Sakura screamed and clutched Krillin tightly to her. Cell was furious, baring his fangs and slicing his tail through the air like a whip. He was glaring hard at the woman, whoever she was. The woman didn't seem effected by Cell's appearance or aura. She just looked at him firmly, like he was an unwanted guest, and pointed in the direction she came from.

"Along this direction is Sacred Territory." She warned. "Your kind will not be able to set foot there. The holocram is too strong, and all the evil-hearted are repelled. I suggest you go back to where you came from. You will not be welcomed beyond this point." Then, she bent down to pick Selena up. Cell watched intensely as the woman gathered the girl in her arms and cradled her carefully. He was so close to absorbing that girl and being rid of her once and for all.

Who was this woman?

"Let's go now." The woman proposed to Krillin, turning around and heading back towards the cliffs. Krillin carried the crying Sakura with him after her. He was extremely concerned about turning his back on Cell.

"But what about Cell?" he asked the woman. He turned to look at the monster, and Cell was starting to walk after them. The woman looked over her shoulder, and frowned.

"Is that his name?" she wondered. "I see he doesn't give up easily, like the fool he is." She once again powered up her aura, and Cell stopped dead in his tracks. He glared at her with intents to kill, looking rather helpless. Finally, he screeched another angry roar at her, and turned away running the opposite direction. The corners of the woman's frown turned up into a smile. "Perhaps not as big a fool as I thought…"

"Uh, excuse me…" Krillin looked up at the woman. She looked down at him. "Uh…yeah, thanks for saving us…but who are you?"

"My name is Mimic." The woman introduced with a more friendly smile. "I am Selena's sensei…and keeper of the Sacred City." 

^

It wasn't long until Mimic led the travelers into the Sacred City. First they were led through a medieval gateway guarded by two, strange, humanoid creatures. Past the gateway was the huge city of polished marble and regal dark colors. The structures of cylinders, domes and pyramids surrounded them from all sides and heights. Most of the city was colored white with small gray webbing's winding through the white, but the roofs were shades of burgundy red, royal purple, and navy blue. The streets were carved stone, and the streets were sheltered under several Romanesque arches lined with creeping ivy. Boarding the city and hiding the view of the horizon beyond were large cliffs that completely surrounded the city except for the entrance. The city was alive with more of the humanoid creatures who were ghostly white with no hair, red eyes, skeleton-like hands, toothy grins, and robes of chocolate brown just like Mimic's.

"Wow!" Sakura cheered at the sights and sounds around her. "Cool!"

"Just like walking into a painting…" Krillin awed. 

Mimic ignored them. She was looking around for something while Selena hung limp in her arms. Sakura looked up at her protector in worry.

"Will she be alright?" she asked timidly.

"She'll be fine, little one." Mimic promised. "Now where are those three?"

"Three what?" Krillin wondered.

Two of them approached. Two human boys slightly older than Selena ran to Mimic in worry. Both were dressed in the same black and white fighting gi, and had ki staffs strapped to their backs.

"Mimic-san!" one with short black hair and a scar going across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose called. "What happened? What's wrong with Selena?"

"She'll be alright." Mimic assured. "I got to her just in time. I need you two to help me at the Sacred Pool."

"Whoa, dude!" the one with bleached blond hair and sunglasses shouted at Selena's injury. "Selena! Speak to me, dude! Are you alright, dude?"

Selena smiled weakly.

"Hi Ace…" she greeted the blond. "Hey Zeo…"

"Boys…" Mimic pressed, "The Sacred Pool…she needs her injuries healed right away!"

"Right." Zeo nodded. "Here, let me have her." Mimic carefully handed Selena to Zeo, and the boy took off running down the street. "C'mon, Ace!"

"Dude, I'm coming!" Ace shouted after his friend. Mimic sighed and walked calmly after them.

"Come along." She ushered Krillin and Sakura. They walked next to her as Krillin held Sakura's hand.

"Who were they?" Krillin asked.

"Members of the Four Guardians." Mimic introduced. "Selena is also a member."

"Four? But that's three…"

"The fourth is guarding the temple right over there." Mimic pointed at a high point of the city. Krillin and Sakura looked. Above a long climb of marble staircases was a domed gazebo-styled temple with a deep blue roof. Romanesque pillars supported the dome roof over the circular platform below. The temple seemed to be the size of a small house. Sakura looked up at Mimic.

"Pretty building." She commented.

"Thank you." Mimic smiled. "That is the very heart of the city, where the holocram is strongest. It must be guarded from any harm that may come to it."

"Wait a minute…" Krillin raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What kind of temple is that?"

Mimic lowered her head, hiding it partially by her long, white hair.

"That…is the temple of the Great Gospel."

^

Cell stared down at the city below him from the cliffs. He watched the people move around as he wondered what a Roman city was doing in Ireland. 

__

This must be the Sacred City. He thought to himself. _Unusual. I can see architecture from all over the world in this city. And what are those strange creatures that live here?_

Oh, wait…I remember now…

They were the first guardians, before humans began to take the throne, and way before Nameks guarded the Earth…

His eyes combed over the city for Selena and the others. He found the woman who had mysteriously scared him away talking to Krillin and Sakura. He found two boys rushing in the direction of a lake inside the city, and both were carrying the injured Selena. 

__

Found you…He thought with a pleased smile.

__

Fortunately, for you Selena, the strange power of your aura resides within this city and keeps me out. I can't get to you…

…for now anyway…

But, I will find a way inside…

And you had better be ready…

****

To Be Continued

**END OF EPISODE BONUS!**

Theme songs!

(Lyrics and translations can be found on http://www.angelfire.com/anime/FFBlitz/lyrics/.html )

Selena's Theme-SCAR, Ayumi Hamasaki  
hajimete namida wo mita hi ha  
nani mo dekizu ni tada tada  
te wo nigirimashita  
  
nakitsukarete nemurikaketa koro  
boku no hou wo mite "gomen ne" to  
tsubuyaite sukoshi waraimashita  
  
sonna anata deshita  
  
sayonara sae jouzu ni  
tsutaerarenakatta no ha  
mata aeru you na ki ga  
shita kara soretomo...  
  
hajimete shikarareta ano hi ha  
nani mo iezu ni tada tada  
utsumukimashita  
  
anata ha hitori se wo muke  
heya wo dete ikimashita  
soshite kokoro ni onaji kizu wo tsukurimashita  
  
sonna futari deshita  
  
kyou mo dokoka de deai  
wakariaeta mono tachi  
wakareyuku monogatari  
kurikaesaremasu  
  
sayonara sae jouzu ni  
tsutaerarenakatta no ha  
mata aeru you na ki ga  
shita kara soretomo...  
  
kyou mo dokoka de deai  
wakariaeta mono tachi  
wakareyuku monogatari  
kurikaesaremasu

****

Translation

The day that I first saw tears  
I couldn't do anything.  
I just gripped your hand.  
  
Tired from crying, about to fall asleep  
you turned to me and whispered,  
"I'm sorry," and smiled a little.  
  
That's what you were like.  
  
The reason I couldn't even  
say "goodbye" properly was that  
I got the feeling that I'd  
see you again. Or...  
  
The day that I was first scolded  
I was speechless. I just  
hung my head in shame.  
  
You turned your back  
and left the room.  
And made the same wounds in my heart.  
  
That's what we were like.  
  
They meet again somewhere today,  
those two people who understand each other.  
A tale of lost love  
is repeated again.  
  
The reason I couldn't even  
say "goodbye" properly was that  
I got the feeling that I'd see  
you again. Or...  
  
They meet again somewhere today,  
those two people who understand each other.  
A tale of lost love  
is repeated again.

****

Cell's Theme-Naturally, Ayumi Hamasaki

ano basho ni ikitaku tte  
tabi ni deru shitaku shite  
ato ha tada hitasura hashiritsudzukete  
  
chikadzukeba chikadzuku hodo  
doko to naku kidzukidashite  
na no ni mada mite minu furi nante shite  
  
da kedo mou hikikaesu  
koto nante dekinai you na  
tokoro made kita koro ni chuucho shidashite  
  
tachidomaru sore sae mo  
kowaku tte kowaresou de  
naite ita watashi ni anata ha itta  
  
kanashii no ha semete shimau koto da to  
  
utsukushisugiru mono bakari  
atsumete narabete nagamete  
kirei na yume bakari mite ha  
genjitsu wo tada nageiteta no  
  
shiawase no katachi nante  
tsukurou to shite mita tte  
aijou ni wake ha nai no to onaji de  
  
kitto sou atama no naka  
muzukashiku kangaesugi  
deru hazu mo nai kotae sagashite ita  
  
tanoshii dake sonna hibi ha mou iranai  
  
oikakete owareteru uchi ni  
ibasho sura miushinaisou de  
kore ijou kizu tsukanu you ni to  
me wo tojita mama se wo muketeta  
  
utsukushisugiru mono bakari  
atsumete narabete nagamete  
kirei na yume bakari mite ha  
genjitsu wo tada nageita  
  
koko ga donna basho de atte mo  
kore kara doko wo tootte mo  
jiyuu to kodoku wakeatte  
ima nara ari no mama ikesou

****

Translation

I want to go to that place.  
I've prepared for my journey;  
all that's left is to start running.  
  
The closer I get, the more  
I seem to understand,  
but I still pretend not to see.  
  
But I've come to the point  
where I can't turn back,  
and that's where I hesitate.  
  
Even stopping  
scares me. Fragile and  
crying, you said to me:  
  
Being sad is the same as giving up.  
  
In gathering, displaying, and viewing  
only beautiful things  
and seeing only beautiful dreams,  
I was only lamenting reality.  
  
Trying to give a shape to  
happiness is the same as  
saying there's no reason behind love.  
  
Yes, I've been thinking too hard,  
in my head. I've been searching  
for answers I don't expect to find.  
  
I'm tired of those days of meaningless fun.  
  
While chasing and being chased,  
I've lost sight of my home.  
So as not to be hurt any more,  
I closed my eyes and turned away.  
  
In gathering, displaying, and viewing  
only beautiful things  
and seeing only beautiful dreams,  
I only lamented reality.  
  
No matter what this place is like,  
no matter where I go next,  
I'll share my freedom and loneliness.  
I think I can make it as I am now.

****

Next chapter: Krillin and Sakura's theme songs! That's all for now! See ya next chapter!


	11. The Great Gospel, Part 2

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 11: The Great Gospel, Part 2

((Author's Note: For those who are wondering about my FF7 references, here they are: Chocobo's are found in every FF game except for FF1, The Great Gospel is Aeris's Level 4 limit break but it greatly differs from UC's version, and in Act two there will be a fight scene in a Mako reactor. I may put in more jokes, but the key word is may. Have fun finding my hidden references! ~Masquerade))

Last Chapter of Unholy Crusade:

__

"Pretty building." Sakura commented.

"Thank you." Mimic smiled. "That is the very heart of the city, where the holocram is strongest. It must be guarded from any harm that may come to it."

"Wait a minute…" Krillin raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What kind of temple is that?"

Mimic lowered her head, hiding it partially by her long, white hair.

"That…is the temple of the Great Gospel."

***

Cell stared down at the city below him from the cliffs.

"Fortunately, for you Selena, the strange power of your aura resides within this city and keeps me out. I can't get to you…

"…for now anyway…

"But, I will find a way inside…

"And you had better be ready…"

^

Zeo and Ace raced through a park of long and tall trees, running for the center of the small forest. Selena hung slightly limp and gasping in their arms as Ace held onto her legs and Zeo held her under her armpits.

They were running through the city park. Trees as thin as street lamps grew off the sides of a stone path, and the canopies sheltered the guardians from the starry sky above. Small swarms of fireflies were the only light, and the sounds of crickets and nightingales slightly disturbed the silence. Soon, the path took them to the center of the small city park.

There was a lake formed in a perfect circle, and lined by marble bricks to keep stollers from accidentally falling in. The lake shimmered slightly as small waves broke on the marble brick walls that contained it, as though it was a small ocean. The waves that glided across the lake's surface shimmered with a pure white light. Anyone new to the sight would have found it awe-inspiring. But Zeo and Ace had seen it thousands of times, and hardly found it spectacular anymore.

"Okay, let's go." Zeo nodded, carrying his side of Selena into the lake. The water came up to his collarbone, so he let Selena float with him. Ace took off his sunglasses and slid in after his friend.

"Sheesh…" Ace shivered as he floated along next to Selena while keeping two fingers in her pants belt loop. "The water's cold, dude!"

"It's always cold." Zeo shook his head. He swam to the center of the lake, keeping one hand under Selena's armpit as he used his free hand to stroke. Soon, they reached the center of the lake, and Zeo went to Ace's side as Selena floated on her back.

"So, where's she wounded?" Zeo scratched his head.

"Uuh…" Selena moaned through her lips. "The back…"

"The back?" Zeo and Ace blinked. They hadn't thought of that. Zeo carefully reached his hand under her shirt and felt her back gingerly. He found the wound, almost the size of his hand, and surprisingly clean. 

"Oh my God…" Zeo gasped. "Sel, that's quite a hole you have in your back. I'm amazed you're not dead."

"Me neither." She smiled in relief.

"Well, let's get started." Zeo proposed. "Off with your shirt, Selena."

"I don't think I should…" Selena sighed, one hand pulling the top of her outfit. "It's a one piece."

"Just pull down the top of it." Zeo suggested.

"I really don't think I should…"

"Selena-dude, we've seen you in your bra before, dude." Ace assured.

"I'm not wearing a bra." Selena growled.

The boys looked at each other in alarm. They hadn't seen her without a bra before. They looked back at her.

"Selena, we don't care." Zeo made clear. "Just pull down your top."

"Pervert." Selena growled, glaring at him. "You always have been, Zeo."

"Selena, this isn't the time for that. You're injured and need healing. Pull down your top!"

"Hey, dudes, I got an idea." Ace said, pulling the shirt of his gi off. He handed it to Selena. "Here, Sel, you can cover up your chest with this." Selena smiled, and took the shirt in her hand.

"Thanks, Ace." She sighed, putting the white shirt over her torso, and reaching under it to pull down her top. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Right." Zeo nodded with a rather disappointed look on his face. He floated next to Selena's side, and carefully massaged her wound while whispering an enchantment in a strange language. He took one hand off her wound, and cupped some of the lake water in his hand. He poured some water into Selena's mouth and she swallowed. Ace helped keep Selena's head above the water as Zeo performed the ritual. 

Five minutes into the healing, Mimic, Sakura, and Krillin showed up by the lakeside. 

"There they are." Mimic smiled. Krillin and Sakura watched on in amazement.

"What are they doing?" Krillin wondered, not able to understand what Zeo was saying as he stroked Selena's back and poured water into her mouth.

"This is the healing ritual for the Sacred Spring." Mimic explained. "They are healing her back and revitalizing her energy."

"Sacred Spring?" Krillin asked, looking at the water. "You mean…this is…"

"Natural sacred water." Mimic nodded. Sakura scooped some up in her hand, but Krillin immediately scolded her.

"Don't drink that!" he snapped at her. She emptied her hands sadly.

"You should listen to your friend, little one." Mimic nodded. "The water will have no affect if you do not need healing. If you are good of health, and the water cannot help you, you can get sick from it."

"Oh." Sakura sighed sadly.

Krillin turned his eyes back to the healing in the middle of the lake.

"So, what happens now?" he wondered. "We just wait?"

"Yes." Mimic nodded. "The wound was rather damaging, it could take Zeo half an hour to fully replenish her."

"Half an hour?" Krillin moaned. Mimic smiled, and put an assuring hand on his bald head.

"How about the two of you come with me? Can I arrange a room for the both of you to stay at? Maybe get the both of you something to eat?"

"Now that you mention it…" Krillin thought out loud, "I am kinda hungry."

"Me too." Sakura moaned. 

"Come with me." Mimic motioned, walking away from the lake. "I can get you a place to sleep as well." Krillin and Sakura followed.

But just before Sakura left, she took a look around the lake area one last time. Her eyes traveled up the cliff face barriers that stretched into the sky, and found someone standing on top of one of the cliffs. The silhouette against the sky told her exactly who it was. It was Cell. 

He looked down at her and smiled warmly. With a frightened yelp, she ran after Krillin and Mimic, shouting his name. Mimic looked in the direction of the child's frightened finger, and the monster stopped smiling. He glared at the woman, and their gaze locked for a moment. 

Suddenly, the woman turned away and kept walking.

"He can't get to us." She assured her guests. "The both of you are safe here."

Cell smiled to himself.

__

How long will that last, eh?

^

Krillin and Sakura were shown into a small hut made of marble-colored adobe where they could stay the night. The hut had three rooms all with one hallway joining them together: a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom, each separated by a door. Mimic stopped some of the strange creatures in the streets to go find the city cook and tell him to prepare a dinner for two honored guests. Krillin and Sakura made themselves comfortable on their beds as food came to them. They were given a nice and big plate of several kinds of sushi. Krillin and Sakura took the supplied chopsticks and quickly picked up sushi rolls to stuff happily in their mouths.

Two hours ticked by until Selena was walked into the room with Ace and Zeo escorting behind her. Selena had a towel wrapped around her shoulders.

"Hi guys." She greeted, smiling at them and shivering from the cold. Sakura was so happy to see Selena alive and well that she jumped off her bed and hugged the woman's legs.

"Selena-san!" she cried, rubbing her cheek against Selena's knee. "You're alright." Not wanting to get the little girl wet, Selena just patted the girl's head and walked into the room.

"I'm gonna dry off in the bathroom. Be right out." Then, she looked at the tray where all the sushi had been eaten. "Aw, you guys had sushi! Now I'm hungry."

"We'll get ya some, Sel." Zeo promised.

"Cell?" Krillin blinked. "Hey, why did you call her Cell?"

"That's her nickname." Zeo shrugged. "You got a problem with that, baldy!"

"Hey, Selena-dude!" Ace called before Selena could step into the bathroom. "Who's the little guy? You're new boyfriend?"

"You guys forgot about my vow or what?!" she snapped. "Krillin's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend." Then, she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

" 'Vow?' " Krillin wondered as Ace and Zeo walked into the hut.

"She doesn't want a boyfriend." Zeo explained, extending a hand to Krillin. "I remember you now. You were with Mimic-san when she brought Sel back. The name's Crypt Duron, but everyone calls me Zeo."

"She…doesn't want a boyfriend?" Krillin squeaked as he shook the boy's hand.

"Hey, don't get worked up about it. She may not love you, but she'll be a loyal friend of yours as long as she lives."

"And who's he?" Krillin pointed at Ace. Ace tipped his sunglasses.

"Hey dude, I'm Ace Morgan. Nice ta meet you, Krillin-dude." 

Krillin and Ace shook hands.

" 'Dude?' " Krillin blinked.

"He's a surfer from California." Zeo explained. Ace grinned and made a peace sign.

"And what does 'Zeo' mean?" 

"I made that word up." The boy confessed. "It shouldn't be in the dictionary, it just sounds cool."

"Whatever." Krillin made a flat face. "So you guys are the four guardians?"

"Yeah, dude!" Ace cheered. "Whadaya think?"

"So, who's the fourth?"

"Who, Preacher?" Selena answered, walking out of the bathroom while combing her fingers through her wet hair. "I guess you could call him our leader. He's the oldest, strongest, fastest, and most skilled of the four of us. His real name is Sho Kitsune. We call him 'Preacher' because he practices every religion known to man."

"Where is he?" Sakura asked, seeing only Ace and Zeo in the room.

"He guards the temple in the center of town." Selena answered. "Which reminds me, I have to talk to him. But first, I need a change of clothes…" Then, she remembered her Capsule Case, and she barked a word that made even the boys cringe.

"Dude!" Ace cried in surprise. "Watch the vocab around the kids, Sel!"

"No bad words, Selena-san!" Sakura scolded.

"MY CAPSULE CASE!" Selena shouted, about to storm out of the house. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT IT OUT IN THE FIELDS!"

"Selena, don't worry!" Krillin calmed in alarm, reaching one hand into the folds of his orange gi. "I picked it up while you and Cell were fighting." He held it out for her to see. "See? Here it is."

"GIMME!" Selena shouted, snatching the case from his hand so suddenly and with such strength that Krillin's hand stung. As he nursed his hand, Selena rushed back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Zeo looked at Krillin.

"Preacher may be our best fighter, but Selena scares us the most." He explained. "We hide under our beds every twenty-eight days when she's in town."

Krillin had to laugh. He knew what they meant.

When Selena got mad, anyone in her way was blown over.

__

Worse than Vegeta…

^

Atop several flights of marble stairs, sitting on a high hill and looming over the whole Sacred City was the canopy that housed the flat platform of gray marble that was the temple of the Great Gospel. Under the canopy was a small, bubbling fountain of Sacred Water that flowed into an ankle-deep pool. Preacher wasn't looking at the fountain and it's subtle beauty. He just stared at the stars in the sky from a carved balcony, and listened to the trickle of flowing water behind him. 

Preacher, 25 years old, with short black hair and a stone hard face, was well respected in the Sacred City with his noble job and exquisite abilities. He was the first of Mimic-san's pupils and had known her for the longest than any of the four guardians. He always dressed in his master's traditional black gi and white undershirt tied with a red obi. He also had a white bandana tied around his head, leaving long tails of cloth flowing down his back. Many of the female creatures of the city found him very attractive, but he shrugged them off. He made a vow of abstinence when he was fifteen, and had no interest in women.

He heard footsteps climbing up the stairway, and he turned his head to the temple entrance to see who was visiting. When the head peeked past the marble-lined horizon, he smiled at the familiar face.

"Selena-san." He identified warmly. "Welcome back." Selena, dressed in a rather tight blue T-shirt and blue jeans, smiled at him.

"Long time, no see, Preach." She greeted back. "Everything going okay?"

"Yes." He nodded. "How have your travels been?"

"Good until recently." She admitted, walking towards him. He nodded in agreement.

"So I heard from Mimic-san. The monster of Nikki Town is chasing you?"

Selena smirked at that.

"So, that's what they're calling him?" she wondered, walking out to the balcony and standing next to him. "Why Nikki Town? He attacked Ginger Town first, and disasters are usually named after the place they struck first."

"True." Preacher nodded. "But according to the news, there were surviving civilians who escaped Ginger Town, including the army that tried to destroy the creature. In Nikki Town, no one survived. Not one soul."

"How sad…" Selena pitied, looking up into the stars.

Preacher blinked at her suspiciously.

"Alright, why are you up here? I have a feeling you wanted to say more to me than just 'Hello.' "

Selena lowered her head in guilt, and turned her eyes to the small fountain built into the temple floor. Watching the water shimmer with the white glow as it bubbled from the floor made her eyes water slightly. Yes, she did come here for a reason. She wanted the Sacred City's most powerful weapon. She walked to the fountain, and stood by the edge of the circle.

"So, let me get this straight…" she began, "You step in the center of the pool…" She looked up at the ceiling. "…and you stand straight and raise your arms in the air…" She reached one hand up to the air in simulation. "…and you chant the proper chant…then a white light beams from the sky and transforms you into a holy creature capable of destroying all the evil on Ear…"

"You came here to summon the Gospel so you can use it to destroy that monster?!" Preacher roared at her. She glared at him.

"What's wrong with that?" she snapped. 

"It doesn't need to be used." He explained angrily.

Selena angrily got in his face.

"What do you mean it doesn't need to be used. People are dying!"

"There are others taking care of the problem. They are stronger than this monster, and can kill it by themselves."

"Then why isn't Cell dead yet?!" Selena shouted. "Preacher, we gotta whack him and we gotta whack him now! With the Gospel! It can kill him!"

"YES, IT CAN!" Preacher roared over her, making her gasp and fall quiet. "But," he continued more softly, "it would be a waste…especially since others have the power to take care of the monster. So, its name is Cell? Are you trying to kill it because it stole your nickname?"

"Oh, shut up." Selena narrowed her eyes. "So, you're saying that it's not necessary to summon the Gospel to kill the monster? Why is that so?"

"Just because we have the power doesn't mean we can use it." Preacher explained. "It would be like dropping a nuclear bomb on a ground war. A waste. We don't need the Gospel…at least, not yet…"

" 'Not yet?' " Selena shivered in anger. "Oh, so we'll need it later, but we won't need it now? The hell, Preacher?!"

"The creature named Cell is killing humans for their energy which make it stronger with each attack, yes?" he asked, walking away from her and back to his balcony. She faced his back.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." She nodded.

"Well, once it becomes too strong, then we will use the Gospel to destroy it. Let those who are doing their job try to finish it. If they can kill the monster themselves, you will thank me later for not summoning the Gospel and wasting their time."

"Hmph." Selena snorted, heading for the stairs. "It's more like they're wasting my time…and you're making a mistake, Preach."

Preacher sighed.

"Incredible." He scolded, turning his head to her back as she walked down the stairs. "You haven't changed a bit. So head strong and overconfident, and your ego is as big as ever!"

"You should talk." She sighed, putting her hands behind her head as she walked. Preacher shook his head and leaned against the balcony rail.

"I just can't stand her sometimes… Shikimi-kun…"

^

Selena went to her own hut to sleep. She found that it was just the way she left it four years ago. She flopped on the bed and instantly went to sleep.

The next morning, she awoke to the sounds of the bustling city. She got up and stretched sleepily. After rubbing her eyes and slipping off the bed to her feet, she walked out of the hut to go find Krillin and Sakura. She found them in the hut that Mimic-san arranged for them, said her "good morning"s and took the Capsule Case into the bathroom to change. 

She came out of the bathroom wearing the black gi and white undershirt that was the Four Guardian's uniform. She had tied her hair back behind her in a low ponytail and left two long bangs framing her face. Tatami sandals adorned her feet, and her ki staff was strapped to her back. She was all smiles that morning too.

"Can I order you guys breakfast?" she offered Krillin and Sakura. "The city cooks will make anything you want."

"Really?" Krillin asked in delight.

__

Yes! No more instant oatmeal!

"Scrambled eggs!" Sakura cried out happily. "And banana ice cream!"

Selena chuckled.

"I'll see what I can do about the scrambled eggs." She decided, walking out of the hut and into the city street. The city eatery was to the far north of town, so she walked with the direction of the pedestrian traffic. The rather primitive Sacred City had no vehicles or the latest in Earth technology, so it was relatively quiet and had little pollution. Selena did love it here…

__

But I left to see the world…

And the last couple of days gave me more than I bargained for…

Her eyes rested on the temple of the Great Gospel as she walked past it.

__

The one reason I came here was for the Gospel, not just protection from Cell.

I don't care what Preacher says, we need it desperately.

It's the only way to kill Cell once and for all…

She narrowed her eyes at her determination.

__

I'm going to get my hands on it sooner or later…

…and no one is going to stop me from using it!

^

Cell watched her from the cliffs above the city. She was moving to the far north of town in some kind of hurry. She seemed to be in deep thought about something. He noticed her looking at the temple in the center of town, and he looked at it too. The sacred power keeping him out of the city (and even flying to close to the streets and building tops) was much stronger in the temple. He could see a young man inside, staring into a pool of water carved into the temple floor. Then the man looked up at Cell, and stared the monster in the eyes.

__

He can see me…

Cell narrowed his eyes at the man, and the man just looked away.

__

So, if that is the center of the field…

He brainstormed a few ideas for destroying the temple, but later rejected all of them.

__

No good. I must discover what God this temple is dedicated to before I destroy it.

He chuckled to himself.

__

I don't want to enrage a fellow God…

****

To be continued…

END OF EPISODE BONUS!

More theme songs by Ayumi Hamasaki!

****

Krillin's Theme: "Hana"

tatoeba ima kyuu ni koko kara sugata wo keshitara  
hitori kurai sagasou to shite kuretari shimasu ka  
mitsukaru made hito ha yasashii mono to  
shinjinagara matte te ii no desu ka  
  
otona ni natte iku koto to  
mujaki na kodomo de iru no ha  
docchi ga tsurai koto desu ka  
sonna shitsumon ha yamemashou  
anata ga saku no nara  
  
hito gomi de afure kaesu kono machi ni ita nara  
hitori kurai kiku mimi motte kuretari shimasu ka  
tsudsuite iku itsu made mo owaranai  
kono sakebi ha dare ka ni todokimasu ka  
  
itsu ka chiru koto shirinagara  
aisarete tada utsukushiku  
massugu ni nobite iku no ha  
donna yuuki ga irimasu ka  
  
otona ni natte iku koto to  
mujaki na kodomo de iru no ha  
docchi ga tsurai koto desu ka  
sonna shitsumon ha yamemashou  
anata ga saku no nara  
  
itsu ka chiru koto shirinagara  
fumarete mo tada hokorashiku  
massugu ni nobite iku no ha  
donna chikara ga irimasu ka  
  
sugita hibi furi kaeru no to  
ashita ni kitai wo suru no ha  
docchi ga kowai koto desu ka  
sonna shitsumon ha yamemashou  
anata ga saku no nara

****

Translation

For instance, if I quickly ran away now,  
would you search for me?  
Until I'm found, is it ok to wait while believing  
that people are kind?  
  
Becoming an adult,  
or staying an innocent child;  
which one is worse?  
Let's stop asking those questions.  
If you bloom.  
  
If we were in this city overflowing with people,  
would you listen to me?  
Will this never-ending  
shout reach anyone?  
  
While you know that you'll wither eventually,  
you're loved, still beautifully.  
What kind of bravery do you need  
to grow straight and tall?  
  
Becoming an adult,  
or staying an innocent child;  
which one is worse?  
Let's stop asking those questions.  
If you bloom.  
  
While you know that you'll be scattered sometime,  
even if you're stepped on you're still proud.  
What kind of strength do you need  
to grow straight and tall?  
  
Looking back at the days past,  
or having hope for tomorrow,  
which one is scarier?  
Let's stop asking those questions.  
If you bloom.

****

Sakura's Theme: "Teddy Bear"

anata ha mukashi iimashita  
mezamereba makuramoto niha  
suteki na purezento ga  
oite aru yo to  
kami wo nadenagara  
  
aikawarazu sono senaka ha  
chiisaku tayorinakute  
dakedo tanoshii hanashi nara  
waraiaete ita  
  
sore nanoni hito ha doushite  
onaji you na ayamachi  
ato nando kurikaeshitara  
koukai dekiru no  
  
omoidashite iru  
houmutta hazu no  
itsuka no yoru  
  
anata ha mukashi iimashita  
mezamereba makuramoto niha  
suteki na purezento ga  
oite aru yo to  
kami wo nadenagara  
  
watashi ha kitai ni hazumu mune  
kakaenagara mo nemuri ni tsukimashita  
yagate otozureru yoake wo  
kokoromachi ni shite  
  
mezameta watashi no makuramoto  
ookina kumo no nuigurumi imashita  
tonari iru hazu no anata no  
sugata to hikikae ni  
  
anata ha mukashi iimashita  
mezamereba makuramoto niha  
suteki na purezento ga  
oite aru yo to  
kami wo nadenagara

****

Translation

You once said long ago  
while stroking my hair,  
"When you wake up, there'll be  
a nice present waiting for you  
by your pillow."  
  
You weren't always  
there for me,  
but we could laugh together  
at funny stories.  
  
But how can people regret  
mistakes that they keep making  
over and over again?  
  
I remember now...  
that night I thought  
I had buried.  
  
You once said, long ago  
while stroking my hair,  
"When you wake up there'll be  
a nice present waiting for you  
by your pillow."  
  
I lay sleeping with my arms  
crossed around my chest,  
looking forward to the morning.  
  
When I woke up, I found  
by my pillow a teddy bear...  
in place of you.  
  
You once said, long ago  
while stroking my hair,  
"When you wake up there'll  
be a nice present waiting for  
you by your pillow."

****

Geez! Japanese romantizations are such a bitch on the spell check! 

So what kind of bonus will I have for you next chapter? I'm not so sure myself. So keep reading Unholy Crusade! See ya in chapter 12!


	12. The Great Gospel, Part 3

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 12: The Great Gospel, Part 2

__

Last chapter…

Her eyes rested on the temple of the Great Gospel as she walked past it.

__

The one reason I came here was for the Gospel, not just protection from Cell.

I don't care what Preacher says, we need it desperately.

It's the only way to kill Cell once and for all…

She narrowed her eyes at her determination.

__

I'm going to get my hands on it sooner or later…

…and no one is going to stop me from using it!

*****

Cell watched her from the cliffs above the city.

He noticed her looking at the temple in the center of town, and he looked at it too.

__

So, if that is the center of the field…

He brainstormed a few ideas for destroying the temple, but later rejected all of them.

__

No good. I must discover what God this temple is dedicated to before I destroy it.

He chuckled to himself.

__

I don't want to enrage a fellow God…

^

Selena reached the eatery, and walked up to the booth.

"Good morning, ladies!" Selena greeted cheerfully, leaning on the counter of the booth. One of the female creatures that worked there smiled instantly on seeing the guardian.

"Selena-san!" she cried cheerfully. "Good morning! A pleasure to finally see you back in the Sacred City!"

"It's good to be back." Selena admitted, tilting her head cutely with a smile.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" the worker asked.

"Yes, there is." Selena nodded. "My two friends and I would like a breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage links please. And I'll have a short stack of hot cakes also, please."

"Certainly!" the worker chirped. "Always happy to help you, Selena-san!" Selena smiled in charm, and took a seat on a nearby stool. The front of the eatery looked like a drive-up diner, the kind she saw in the American province. The people would just park their cars outside the building and sit at the food bar right in front of the building, watching the cooks work in the nearby kitchen. It just fascinated Selena when she first saw one. The diners usually served 1960 style hamburgers and hotdogs, but the similar eatery in the Sacred City served just about everything.

As she waited, she turned around and watched the people walk through the streets, minding their own daily business. The Sacred City thrived mostly on the teamwork of the people that lived her. All the jobs were based on helping the community rather than money. It was like working for a volunteer job no matter what you did. Selena took a job as a tailor for a nearby clothing shop for a while before she was appointed with keeping watch on the Sacred Spring. She liked working in the shop, making and mending the clothes the civilians wore and making sure they were clean and stylish. She didn't have a lot of passion for the job as time went on, and soon lost interest in it. She was grateful for watching the Spring instead. However, it was always a pleasure to do what was best for the public and help out to make everyone's life a little more peaceful. 

That was what being a guardian was all about.

Selena spent most of her waiting time people watching, and it seemed like an instant when the food was presented to her.

"Here it is!" the female worker announced, grinning. "A breakfast fit for a guardian!"

"Oh, it smells delicious." Selena smiled, taking the plates herself. "Thanks, I'll take them down."

"Are you sure you don't need help with that?" the worker wondered. Selena's hands and arms were carefully shelving the plates. She smiled nervously.

"No problem. I got it. Thanks again!"

She shuffled down the street, being careful to not drop the plates on the ground and ruin breakfast. Fortunately, the crowd wasn't too thick and she didn't have any problems. She was just in the area of the hut Krillin and Sakura were in when…

"Here, let me take some of these…"

Someone lifted the plates off her arms, leaving only two plates in her hand. Selena looked over at her unwanted help to see that it was…

She frowned.

"Preacher…"

"You looked like you were going to drop these." The guardian explained. "I thought that you would need a hand or two. Besides, I didn't get to meet your new friends yet. Krillin and Sakura?"

Selena narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Shouldn't you be guarding a temple like a good ward?" she snarled, heading into the hut.

"I don't have to stay up there all day…" Preacher huffed. "Besides, standing next to that bubbling fountain for hours…with the nearest bathroom half a mile away…you don't expect me to stay up there, do you?"

Selena had to laugh as she walked into the hut.

"I've always wanted to ask you about that…Krillin! Sakura! Breakfast!"

"Yay!" Sakura cheered, running to greet Sakura. Krillin was right behind her.

"Alright, chow time!"

"Who's that?" Sakura asked, pointing to Preacher. Preacher smiled at her, and bowed politely.

"Konnichuwa." He greeted.

"This is Preacher." Selena introduced dryly. "He's the oldest of the four guardians."

"And you don't like him very much…" Krillin observed. Selena shrugged.

"He can be a pain in the ass at times." She admitted. "Here, Sakura, eat up. Hey, don't give me that face!"

"No bad words, Selena-san!" Sakura scolded, snatching her plate out of Selena's hand. Krillin laughed as he graciously accepted his plate. Selena turned to Preacher after clearing her throat.

"You have my hotcake plate." She pointed out to him.

"You really should watch your language around small children…" Preacher advised, offering Selena her plate.

"Shut the hell up!" she snapped at him, snatching her plate from his hand. "I'll say whatever I want!"

"Selena-san!" Sakura shouted at Selena.

" 'Hell' is not a bad word…" Selena stated flatly.

"Mind if I join you for breakfast?" Preacher jumped into a different subject. "So, Shikimi-kun, how have your travels been? The last the boys and I heard from you, you were in New Zealand."

Selena sighed, and sat on one of the beds to eat her breakfast. The warm smell of hot cakes in maple syrup was seducing her nose.

So, she started talking about her travels since that time and stopped around the time she arrived in Sansho City and met Cell. Preacher, Sakura, and Krillin were hanging to her every word.

__

Wow… Krillin thought to himself, _she's been practically halfway around the world…_

What a gal…

I really like her…

Good thing I don't have to worry about her anymore…

Cell can't get in and can't try to kill her anymore…

I bet I have a really good chance with Selena now…

Vow or no vow, it's just you and me, baby!

"Krillin, are you okay?"

Selena's voice broke into Krillin's thoughts and he blinked.

"Huh?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why are you staring at my boobs?"

Krillin freaked, and instantly backed to the other side of the room in fear.

"I WASN'T! I SWEAR I WASN'T! DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

Selena couldn't help but laugh.

"Forgiven. You gonna finish your breakfast?"

"Yeah." Krillin chuckled nervously, still believing his life was in danger.

__

Man, I gotta watch where I stare off into space…

^

The day went on without incident. Selena took Krillin and Sakura on a tour of the entire city. She also explained that the creatures inhabiting the city were a race of full- blooded guardians and they were the guardians of Earth before humans took the throne, and way before Nameks were even heard of. Also, the structures of the buildings did come from all over the world and from many time periods, since the creatures were artistic by nature, and were the world's greatest architects. 

There were a lot of temples in the city, most of them paying tribute to guardians of the past. A temple for Kami was being built, since Mimic was informed that Kami was now gone. Seeing the construction site of the new temple made Selena sigh sadly. 

__

Kami…

Krillin raised an eyebrow at her as she paused by the construction site each time they passed it.

"Alright, I've had enough guessing for myself." He decided.

"Huh?" Selena blinked at him.

"I wanna know what exactly happened between you and Kami. I know you were a student of his, so was I. What made him so special to you?"

Selena smiled simply.

"That's all we were. Teacher and student."

"C'mon, quit hiding it. You were more than that."

"Example…" Selena prompted.

Krillin sighed.

__

There's only one way I know of to get info out of Selena, and it'll possibly be the death of me…but here it goes…

"He was your boyfriend, wasn't he?"

Selena gasped in horror before latching her hands around Krillin's neck and shaking him violently.

"HE WAS NOT, YOU SICKO! HE WAS A SECOND FATHER TO ME!"

"Aaak…" Krillin gagged. "Sorry…forgive me…I just wanted to know…" Selena let him go, and Krillin caught his breath. "Second father, eh? How was he like that?"

"…" Selena stared at the ground sadly, hesitating.

"Did your real father die?"

"Yeah, he did. When I was six…yeah, he died."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Krillin moaned. He was tempted to ask how her father died, but he knew better. "My dad's dead too. But you still had your mother, right?"

"…" Selena shook her head sadly. "She died when I was very young. I barely knew her.

"Oh…" Krillin sighed sadly. "Yeah, I know how that goes. My mom's gone too."

Selena turned a suspicious eye to him.

"Okay, now you're just sucking up to me so that I don't strangle you again…"

"No, no, for real. My mom died when I was nine." Krillin admitted. "My dad left the family before I was even born, but I know he's dead now."

"…" Selena stared at him suspiciously. There was pretty much no reason why he would talk about his dead parents like that suddenly…unless he was trying to weasel his way out of another strangle hold…

Selena kept walking down the street back to the hut.

"Well, that's pretty much the whole town…let's head back."

"What happened to your daddy, Selena-san?" Sakura wondered innocently. Selena shook her head, holding the little girl's hand.

"You don't ask questions like that, little one."

"Well, my mommy and daddy are dead too…"

"I know how they died…" Selena sighed, thinking back to Cell. "I don't need to ask."

"C'mon!" Sakura whined, tugging hard on Selena's hand. "How did your mommy and daddy die?!"

Selena suddenly tore her hand out of Sakura's grip and raised it as though she was going to slap her. Sakura gasped and shielded herself. 

"Hmph." Selena snorted, lowering her hand back to her side. "Well, if it'll make you happy… Mama died of a sickness after giving birth to me. She's buried in her hometown in Nagasaki. Papa died when our house burned down."

"Really?" Sakura blinked.

"Yes." Selena nodded, crossing her arms and walked a little faster. Sakura's eyes started to water, so Krillin held the little girl's hand. 

"She's right." He agreed. "You shouldn't ask questions like that. It's rude, Sakura."

"…" Sakura just nodded as she and Krillin walked behind Selena back to the hut.

^

Cell's super sensitive hearing picked up Selena's conversation from below, and he nodded in satisfaction of what he learned so far.

__

The pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together…

I'm sure I can find out more later…

Now then…

He looked down at the city below him…

__

Looks like I have to enter the old fashioned way…

^

The sun had set rather quickly, and night was covering the land silently. The people of the city were retreating to their homes as quickly as possible. This night was the third night of their summer Matsuri. Krillin, Sakura, and Mimic were inside the hut while Selena was once again changing her clothes in the bathroom. 

"Summer Matsuri?" Krillin blinked at Mimic made them some tea on the small stove. "Shouldn't everyone be outside, yelling, screaming, and celebrating like on a regular Matsuri?"

"This is different." Mimic shook her head as she put the pot on to boil. "We all stay indoors and quietly pray for the summer spirit of this home to rise and give us good fortune for the year. 'Yelling, screaming, and celebrating' makes the spirits bitter and will bring bad luck."

"But…that's how Japan does it…"

"Let them do what they wish. We at the Sacred City practice the old ways before Shintoism."

"Oh, ok."

"Selena-san!" Sakura called to the bathroom door. "Tea's almost ready!"

"I'm doing my hair! I'll be right out!" Selena called back.

"What the heck is she putting on?" Krillin wondered.

"Her yukata, most likely." Mimic nodded. 

" 'Yukata?' " Krillin blinked. "I haven't seen her in one of those before…"

"That's because it's ceremonial. Kami gave it to her just before she finished her training under him."

Krillin raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Miss Mimic, how much do you know about Selena?"

Mimic smiled.

"I'm practically her mother."

"Well, what's the deal with her and Kami. She called him a second father."

"Well, they were very close… Kami missed her a lot. He said the Tenkai felt empty without her there."

"He told you that?!" Krillin blinked.

Mimic sat down at the tea table, and leaned on it with one elbow. 

"I was a student of his too, long ago…when he was taking pupils…"

"Wow." Krillin marveled, sitting across from her. "So, how much do you know about Selena? What can you tell me?"

Mimic smiled slyly.

"Are you interested in her?"

Krillin blushed, not so sure what she meant by that.

"I'm interested in knowing who she is." He decided to put it. Mimic smiled.

"She was born and raised her in Ireland, in a small town called Rosewater. Her father was native Irish, and her mother was Japanese. Her name back then was Shikimi Lawless, a Japanese first name and an Irish last name. Shikimi's mother died when the child was a year old, and she lived with her father since."

"She said her father died when her house burned down."

"Not just her house burned down…her whole town was burned to the ground."

"Huh?!"

"No one knows how or why, but the entire town of Rosewater was destroyed in a blazing fire. Shikimi was the only survivor. She was only six years old, and all she could do was collapse on the ash-covered ground and cry. From the Tenkai, Kami noticed that she was the only survivor, and quickly descended to Earth to save her. He took her to the Tenkai, and raised her there. She spent two years under Kami's watchful eye, and she enrolled herself as a pupil of his and took his training course."

"Only two years? She left the Tenkai when she was eight?"

"Not exactly. Two years after he brought her to the Tenkai, Kami discovered Shikimi had living relatives: grandparents on her mother's side. He decided it was best to take her to them so that she could live with family. I was told that Shikimi put up a lot of resistance, but she reluctantly left the Tenkai for her grandparent's estate in Hiroshima. I don't know exactly what happened there…but when she was twelve, Shikimi ran away and ended up here after her travels."

"Wow. From Japan to Ireland at twelve?"

"After taking Kami's training, she learned how to protect and take care of herself. But it is still an impressive distance."

"Yeah. So then what happened?"

"I took her in, and trained her with my three other students. The four of them became very good friends, and they did train very hard to be 'down-to-earth guardians' together. However, Selena soon lost interest in her training here, and wanted to see the world. She was hoping to train abroad. So, at only fifteen, she left the Sacred City. The last we heard of her before now was two months ago, when she was in Italy. But I guess in the recent days, she was out chasing the monster of Nikki Town."

"Yeah, she was. I can vouch for that."

"That's all I know."

"So, how did she change her name to Selena?"

"I'm not sure, but I can guess. Have you noticed her love for music? I'm rather sure she has appreciation for the singer Selena. I remember her favorite artist to be CLEO, however…"

"TEA'S READY!" Sakura suddenly shouted, noticing the kettle steaming and whistling. Mimic chuckled and got up. 

"Selena-chan!" Mimic called to the bathroom door. "Come get your tea!"

"I'm still doing my hair!" she called back. "I'll be right out!"

"You said that five minutes ago!" Krillin called to the door.

"You wanna get strangled again, Krillin?!" Selena shouted.

"YEEEK!" Krillin panicked, quickly ducking under the tea table. Sakura laughed.

"You're funny, Krillin!" she giggled.

^

"My hair is way too thick for this…" Selena grumbled, twisting her hair into a bun on her head. She was sliding a wooden hairpin through the bun to keep it in place, but it kept falling apart. The hair instantly came undone, and the pin clanked onto the floor. Selena growled, then bent to pick it up. 

However, when she did that, something in the folds of the yukata poked sharply at her hip.

"Ow!" she yelped, straightening back up. She dug through the robes furiously. "What the hell was that? A safety pin come undone?"

She pulled out a small tin flute, and her anger quickly melted away.

"Oh… Papa's flute… I forgot I put it here."

She held it in her hands delicately, all of her fingers over the small holes except for her pinkies. Then, she put it to her lips and quickly piped a quick scale. The flute tweeted happily each note, like a happy bird in the early morning.

"She still plays like a dream…"

A small memory flooded back into her head…

__

…Papa and me on the porch…

…It's a hot summer day, and I'm wearing my favorite dress…

…I'm sitting on the stair, and papa on the porch swing…

…Papa's playing a quick reel on the tin flute…

…It's my favorite tune…

…I laugh and stand up, then I dance…

…My feet step with the melody…

…I sing in "la"s happily, with no care in the world…

…I was happy…

Selena lowered her head sadly.

"I…was happy…" she moaned. "Papa…"

She quickly gathered herself together.

__

He's dead and gone, and there's nothing you can do about it…

…so stop bitching!

Think of the here and now! That's the only thing you can do!

And coming back to the here and now, she frowned in the mirror at her messy hair.

"I give up…" she moaned, then she turned to the door. "Mimic-san! Can you please help me with my hair?!"

^

The night slipped the streets of the city into complete darkness. Hardly anyone was out. There were only those who patrolled the streets, keeping an eye out for the monster named Cell. The patrolmen moved silently over the cobblestone streets, looking around for anything suspicious. There were others standing watch by the front gate, looking out at the desolate flatlands before them. So far, they had nothing to report. They didn't see him sulking around the cliffs either, so it was a reason for them to be cautious.

One of the guards by the gate clutched his spear in nervous tension. He had no idea what to expect from this night. With summer spirits being awakened in the homes and buildings of the city, he wasn't sure what would happen. There was always a case where a spirit awoke unwillingly and wrecked havoc on unsuspecting civilians. This particular guard had a fear of raging spirits, having being attacked by one on this very night long ago. His partner put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and gave him a look to not be nervous and to look out for that creature. The guard nodded, and straightened his back. He felt ready for anything.

Then…he saw it.

"Look there!" he shouted to his partner, pointing out into the flatlands. His partner saw it too. It was the creature, just as Selena had described it. The monster was calmly walking towards the city gates, in no particular hurry. The guard was about to panic, never having seen anything so horrible. The partner looked at the guard sternly.

"This is not a spirit. We can kill it. Prepare yourself, now."

The guard drew in a brave breath, and nodded. He held his spear to the monster as it walked closer. Its pace didn't slow or quicken. It wasn't affected. The partner held out his spear too. The monster still kept walking towards them. Its stomping steps were soon echoing off the city walls.

…kt-ch…kt-ch…kt-CH…KT-CH…

It stepped by the entrance…

…and stopped just before the gateway.

Then, it just stood there, looking past the guards and down the street. It seemed to be looking for something.

The guard's partner spoke.

"Go back, now. You cannot enter this place, demon. It will mean your demise!"

The monster looked at the partner simply, and the partner flinched.

"A demon, am I?" the creature challenged. Then, it looked back out at the street. "That is incorrect. A demon only stands for mischief and chaos. I…"

Then, its aura flared around its body, releasing a strong and horrible power. The guard and his partner stepped back, intimidated.

"I stand for death and destruction. I am more than a demon…"

Cell smirked, then took one step inside the city.

"I am a god!"

Both guards watched in horror as Cell slowly took steps inside the city, keeping his aura flaring at full power. He looked at the both of them as he walked by.

"Just stay out of my way, and I promise not to hurt you. I have more important matters to deal with here." 

He continued down the street, very slowly. He was moving much slower than he was walking towards the city. The guards moved around so that they were well behind him and out of the range of his tail. They were terrified.

"He's…walking on the holocram! How is this possible?!" the guard stammered. "This monster is pure evil. It should be dying!"

"Sound the alarm." His partner ordered. "Get the Four Guardians and Mimic-san out here now!"

****

**End of Episode Bonus!**

Original Character Profiles!

Selena

Real Name: Shikimi Lawless

Age: 19

Sex: Female

Height: 5'7

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue

Occupation: guardian

Education: High school dropout, some medical school

Affiliate: member of the Four Guardians

Weapon of Choice: Ki staff

Vehicle of Choice: TCD 2121 Dream Weaver (swoop)

Personality: Very intimidating and rather aggressive. She is a very nice person at heart until you press the wrong button. She angers rather easily, especially when she hears perverted comments or references to boyfriends. She could easily be mistaken for a man hater (she isn't). She is a skilled fighter, and she never runs from a fight. She's more than likely to be the one to start the fight. She likes to act and dress sexy, although she would clobber anyone who suggests sex to her. Likes to have things her way, and can't seem to settle in one place for long. 

Background: She was born in Rosewater, Ireland to a loving mother and father. Her mother died when she was young, so she lived with her father in the small and happy town. When she was six, Rosewater was burned to the ground and she was the only survivor. Kami rescued her, and took her the Tenkai where she could be raised and trained as a fighter. She remained on the Tenkai for two happy years until Kami discovered she had grandparents living on the surface. She was taken to live with them. The time between the ages 8-15 remain unknown, however she ran away from her grandparents when she was twelve and arrived in the Sacred City when she was thirteen. She trained under Mimic until she was fifteen, and then she left the Sacred City to see the world. Along the way, she had her name changed to Selena, and saw very many fascinating places and met wonderful people. She was 19 when she and Cell first met, and the biggest adventure of her life began.

Other Appearances: Selena also appeared in my first DBZ fic: The Deadly Sin Chronicles (on Fanfiction.net, go read if you wish, it's not all that good but I'm keeping it there anyway). She along with the other Four Guardians and Mimic teamed up with the Z fighters to fight evildoers from another dimension. However, Selena was slightly different from her UC version. Although she did wear the black and white training gi and did equip herself with a ki staff, she was much younger, had blond hair, lived in London, and could also fly. Unrevealed in the story, Preacher was her older brother, and she was half-human, half-unknown alien specie (which explained her strength). Either than those subtle changes, she and the other Four Guardians and Mimic were the same as they are in UC.

****

To be continued in next chapter!


	13. The Great Gospel, Part 4

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 12: The Great Gospel, Part 3

__

Both guards watched in horror as Cell slowly took steps inside the city, keeping his aura flaring at full power. He looked at the both of them as he walked by.

"Just stay out of my way, and I promise not to hurt you. I have more important matters to deal with here." 

He continued down the street, very slowly. He was moving much slower than he was walking towards the city. The guards moved around so that they were well behind him and out of the range of his tail. They were terrified.

"He's…walking on the holocram! How is this possible?!" the guard stammered. "This monster is pure evil. It should be dying!"

"Sound the alarm." His partner ordered. "Get the Four Guardians and Mimic-san out here now!"

^

Selena slowly sipped her tea as Mimic chanted in slow, whispering Japanese while holding a slender tree branch decorated with tiny bells. Krillin and Sakura also drank some of their tea as they watched. Mimic was summoning the spirits of the household to awaken and bring them luck and protection for the summer season. Krillin remained respectively quiet, not wanting to comment that this was the strangest matsuri he had ever seen. On a matsuri, people marched in the streets, yelling and making noise to awaken the spirits lying deep in the earth. Mimic called this practice a waste, saying that all the yelling and noise made the spirits irritable. 

"It makes sense." Selena had said before Mimic got started. "People are in a better mood after being shaken awake than waking up to an alarm clock."

So, Mimic had requested that everyone remain quiet as she chanted and summoned. The only sounds from the three onlookers were the sips and gulps on their drinks, and the clacking of their cups settling on their saucers. Selena watched rather intently while Sakura and Krillin looked rather bored. Both had no idea how long this would take.

Suddenly, Mimic stopped chanting, and rang the bells on the branch gently. The tingling of the tiny instruments rippled into the listener's ears. Selena looked down at the tea in her cup. The small wisps of steam seemed to slither and dance like a snake being charmed. She smiled and leaned over to her two friends.

"Look." She whispered, pointing to their cups. "The spirits are awake."

The almost invisible steam trails from their cups were doing the same thing as Selena's.

"They're dancing…" Sakura marveled, timidly putting her fingers through the wisps.

"Steam does that all the time…" Krillin shook his head.

"So rhythmically?" Mimic asked as she chimed the bells a little louder. "So gracefully? Like ribbons in a strong breeze?"

"Whatever…" Krillin moaned. "Well, tonight was certainly interesting… Are we done yet?"

"Quite." Mimic nodded, shaking the branch less and less, making the bells chime quieter and quieter until they were completely silent. She put the branch down on the table, and picked up her cup of tea for a toast. "To a prosperous summer."

"To the summer spirits." Selena toasted, clicking her cup against Mimic's. Everyone clacked the sides of each other's teacups then took long drinks that finished the rest of the beverage off. 

"I'll do dishes." Mimic volunteered, putting the tea tray on the table. "It's past Sakura-chan's bedtime."

"I'm not sleepy…" Sakura moaned. 

"Sleep sounds like a good idea." Selena yawned and stretched. "Let's all go to bed." She reached for the pins in her hair, about to undo the bun that Mimic helped her tie in her hair when…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Huh?" the four blinked at the outside window. 

"That came from outside…" Selena bit her lip.

"Sounds like a guard." Mimic guessed. Selena went to the window, and peeked out. She saw two guards running down the street, frantically looking for something. She flagged them down with a waving hand.

"Hey! What's going on?!" she called. The guards ran to them.

"The monster is here!" one of them shouted.

"Don't panic." Selena shook her head at them. "He can't get in. The holocram is…"

"He is inside the city!" the other shouted. "He's making his way down the main road!"

"WHAT?!" Selena flinched, leaning further out the window. "You have got to be kidding!"

"We aren't allowed."

"How could he have gotten into the city?!"

"We aren't sure." The first guard shook his head. "The gate sentries sent every patroller in town to seek out the four guardians and Mimic-san for help."

"Are you sure it's him?" Mimic asked, standing next to Selena.

"Yeah." Selena nodded. "Was he almost seven feet tall, green with black spots, and has a long tail with a spike behind him?"

"Yes." Both of them nodded. Then the first one spoke up.

"He has pink eyes like a snake, a loud stomping walk, and calls himself a god!"

"Damn…" Selena muttered. "It's Cell alright…" She looked to Mimic. "But…how…"

"We'll ask questions later." Mimic decided. "You two," she called to the guards, "seek out Zeo and Ace at their huts. Keep Preacher at the temple just in case. Go now."

"Yes mam!" the guards nodded, taking off down the street.

"The main street is just two blocks from here…" Selena calculated, leaning away from the window. "If we run, we can catch him."

Mimic turned to Krillin and Sakura, who looked rather scared.

"I thought you said he couldn't get it!" Sakura yelled, feeling betrayed.

"We don't know how he's doing this, or if it's even him." Mimic shook her head. "But perhaps you two should stay here just in case."

"Right." Krillin nodded. "I'll look after Sakura."

Selena grabbed her sheathed staff, and tied the sheathe around her shoulder as she would normally wear it.

"Mimic-san?"

"Let's go." The elder nodded.

^

Mimic and Selena found Zeo and Ace on the main street, holding their staffs in their hands.

"Well?" Selena asked them.

"He'll be coming from down there." Zeo pointed down the street. "He's just walking along the street so far, and he hasn't made any moves or turns off yet."

"Just walking down the street?" Selena wondered, looking behind her and seeing the Great Gospel Temple almost a mile away. "Singing 'Do-wa-diddie-diddie-dum-diddie-do?' "

"Don't joke around."

"Sorry, I just had to lighten the mood a little."

"How quickly is he getting here?" Mimic asked.

"This dude's at a slow walk." Ace reported. "It'd take him five minutes to reach us, dude."

"Five minutes?" Selena disapproved. "Why wait here if he's just walking? Let's go find him."

"Are you crazy?!" Zeo exclaimed. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with here?"

"Yes, I do." Selena nodded. "For the past few days, I've been hunting down and trying to kill this guy. I pretty much know what he's capable of." She pulled her staff from her sheathe, and walked in the direction Cell was supposedly coming from. "C'mon, let's go meet him."

"Mimic-san?" Ace looked up at his mentor. Mimic nodded.

"If he's just approaching in a slow walk, then it would make sense to go to him. We should at least see what he wants."

"Yeah." Zeo agreed, walking after Selena. "Alright, team. Let's go."

^

…kt-ch……kt-ch……kt-ch…

"Yep. It's him." Selena nodded, feeling her scar twitch on her arm and hearing his steps. She could see the peak of his aura just down the street. She let the shaft of her staff rest on her shoulder, and held her weapon as though it was a high powered rifle, aiming the jewel end at the direction Cell was coming. It took a while, but then she could clearly see him. He was taking very slow and careful steps, like he was walking on sharp needles with skill. In his face, she could see him fighting back a grimace and his eyes seemed watery, like he was struggling to keep a look of unbearable pain off his face. She blinked at him. 

__

What is wrong with this guy?

The others caught up to her. Mimic half smiled.

"Well, he made it this far alive… I'm impressed."

…kt-ch……kt-CH……KT-CH…

Cell glared at the four of them. Selena just smiled at him.

"He's got guts, I'll give him that." Selena complemented. 

"That's him?" Ace pointed at Cell. "That's the monster of Nikki Town?"

"Yep."

"Dude! Aw, man! That thing is ugly, dude!"

"Yeah." Zeo agreed. "And I bet it's as dumb as it is ugly…"

Cell snarled, showing his upper fangs. 

"I don't think he liked hearing that…" Selena shook her head. 

Mimic stepped foreword, in front of Selena and the others. The elder held her staff out to her side, tapping the edge to the marble ground.

"Outsider!" she shouted to Cell. "Why have you come here against all warnings?!"

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

"Out of my way!" Cell shouted back. "I have no business with you!"

"This is my business now. Answer me!"

"Move aside!"

"He's not going to tell you." Selena shook her head, standing next to Mimic. Then, she shouted to Cell. "Alright, then answer this! How the hell did you get in here?! You should be dead by now!"

"Feh." Cell snorted. "This 'holocram' is much to weak to keep me out. Selena, you should have learned by now that nowhere is a haven from me."

"I see." Mimic nodded to herself. "True, his power is slightly stronger than the holocram, but not by much. Although he should be dead, he is still in great pain. I'm sure for him, this is like walking in molten lava."

"Eeew." Selena grimaced. "Nasty."

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

"He's not stopping…" Ace noted, watching Cell walking towards them.

"…and we're right in his path…" Zeo realized nervously. Selena narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, I'm not moving. Especially if it's me he's after."

Cell shook his head.

"It has nothing to do with you, Selena."

She blinked, then clutched her staff tightly. The jewel began to glow as ki gathered at its tip into a ball.

"Then why are you here if you aren't after me?"

"It's none of your business, so step aside. I won't hurt you if you would just get out of my way."

He was just two meters away now. Selena powered more ki into her staff for an attack.

"Look, I'll make you a deal! Just turn around and leave, or else I'll open fire!"

Cell growled, continuing his slow steps. Selena could see the pain on his face much more clearly. In his anger, he was starting to forget not to show how much each step hurt. She narrowed her eyes at him, and gnashed her teeth as he kept putting one foot in front of the other in his cautious march.

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

He was now only three feet away. Cell snaked his tail foreword and pointed the tip of his syringe at Selena's throat.

"Last warning." He snarled through his fangs. "Step aside!"

Selena shook her head, then fired her attack.

"TAMASHII NO YA!"

The attack burst from the jewel, and Cell quickly put his hands out to counter it. The massive ki pushed Cell away, skidding him on his feet and making him screech in pain. Finally, he lifted the attack off his hands and into the air. He fell to his hands and knees as the attack arched and landed outside the city and exploded on the open planes. Selena growled in frustration as Zeo and Ace gaped in shock.

"Dios!" Zeo shouted.

"He flung it away!" Ace screamed. "I can't believe it!"

"He's really strong, guys." Selena reminded, then she smirked. "But it took him long enough to finally do that. Walking through here must have weakened him a lot." She watched him steady himself on his hands and knees and stand back up. 

There was a strange mixture of pain and anger on his face.

He was pissed.

Selena spread her feet, ready to attack, keeping her eyes on him. Cell continued to walk foreword at his slow pace. 

KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

"Yeah, go nice and slow." Selena mocked. "You're going to get yours soon enough."

"Selena-chan!" Mimic called to her student, and Selena looked over her shoulder at her. "Let him be. Just step aside and let him pass."

"What?" Selena growled. "No way! I don't think I'll ever get a chance this good ever again!"

"To do what?"

"Kill 'em!"

"You can't." Mimic shook her head. "You cannot spill blood on sacred ground. You will be banished forever with the reputation of an infidel."

"Aw, man…" Selena growled, turning back to Cell. "That's right…" She stared at him for a few minutes, watching him approach slowly, then turned back to Mimic. "How about if I beat him until he's completely paralyzed and kill him outside the city?"

"Selena-chan…"

"What?"

"Just step aside."

"No!"

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

"Better do what your mother says…" Cell jeered as he approached. Selena snapped her head back to him and growled.

"She's not my mother!" she snapped angrily. "We aren't even related."

"You should listen to her, all the same."

"Oh, shut up! You're in no position to give orders! You're on my turf now!"

"Stand aside! I am losing my patience with you, Lawless!"

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

"TAMASHII NO YA!"

Selena fired another blast that sent him over on his back. The attack exploded on the street, shaking the town and causing small parts of roofing to fall to the roads below. Cell panted hard as the pain seeped into his back, wings, and tail, and he quickly stood up on his two feet. That did it, he was fed up. He shot Selena a death glare and gritted his teeth together hard. Suddenly, he broke into a run.

…KT, KT, KT, KT, KT…

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Selena barely had time to react or fire another ki blast. Cell held the back of his elbow level to her neck, and rammed it into her gullet. Choked by the lariat, Selena fell to the ground, gasping for air. 

…KT, KT, KT, KT-CH………KT-CH…

Cell slowed himself to a walk and continued down the street. He growled at the three remaining guardians before him. Zeo and Ace looked ready to wet themselves. Mimic quickly pulled them towards one of the huts.

"Let him pass!" she hissed commandingly. Cell's face calmed considerably, and he closed his eyes as he walked. Selena pushed herself up to her hands and knees, holding her throat.

"Bastard…" she cursed under her breath. Zeo ran to her, and knelt by her side.

"Are you okay, Selena?"

"Yeah." She choked, with a frog in her throat. "He almost crushed my windpipe, though…"

"Selena-chan!" Mimic called to her student.

Selena gritted her teeth together, not in the mood for crap.

"What?!" she snapped at her master.

"When I tell you to do something with an urgent tone, you do it. You understand?"

"Yes." Selena moaned, standing up to her feet. She massaged her neck with one hand and watched Cell walk down the street.

…KT-CH……KT-ch……kt-ch……kt-ch…

"But…what does he want?" she wondered. "Why would he come to a place he can't enter, and what's here he would want so badly?"

"I dunno." Zeo shook his head. "But it can't be good."

"So, whada we do, dude?" Ace asked his friends as they walked up to Mimic. 

"We follow him at a safe distance." Mimic insisted, unsheathing her staff and holding it in her hands.

"Wha?" her three students blinked as she walked away from the wall and behind Cell. The android looked over his shoulder at her, then promptly turned away and kept walking. She looked at her students.

"Well, come along. If he won't tell us, he'll have to show us."

"Oh, I get it!" Selena nodded. She held her staff like Mimic, and walked behind her. "Right, let's go, team!"

"This is going to be a long night…" Zeo sighed, walking next to Selena.

"Dude…" Ace agreed, taking up the rear.

/|\

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH…

Cell kept walking down the main street at his slow pace. He knew Selena and her friends were following him from behind, but they were too far behind him to be within tail range, so he let them be. What he wanted was just ahead of him…

__

…and with that old woman keeping Selena from attacking me, I should get it with no further incidents…

Another five minutes passed until he spied the bottom stair of the long Gospel Temple steps. He made a pleased growl to himself.

__

Finally here.

…KT-CH……KT-CH……KT…

He stopped right at the bottom step. He stared at the slab of marble and the others before it in pure hatred.

__

The holocram is much stronger on these steps than on the ground below me.

This is going to hurt a lot more…

I should power up as high as I can go…

"Yamero!"

Cell looked up the steps to see who shouted at him to halt. On the halfway step of the temple steps was the man he saw several times inside the temple. The man was holding a ki staff in his hands. Cell scowled at him.

__

Not another one! How many of these false guardians are there?!

The man glowered back at Cell.

"I guess you are proud of yourself, coming this far, evil one. No one of your impurity has even made it past the front gate. If you thought that coming as far as here was hard, I recommend you not climb these steps. This temple is the very center of the holocram, and is the strongest of holy power. Setting your foot on the first step will mean your death. Turn back now, and leave this place. We will let you retreat with no ill will."

"Hmph." Cell snorted. "I've come this far for what I want, and you expect me to give up now? Step out of my way, boy, and I will leave after I get what I came for."

"Which is…"

"Step out of my way!" Cell demanded. 

His ki powered as high as he could push it. He took a moment to stabilize his power to where it was, and then lifted his foot towards the step. The man watched with growing horror.

Selena and the others arrived at the scene, and witnessed what no one thought possible. 

Cell set his foot on the stair, and instantly cried out in pain. He quickly took his foot away and stared at the step. Mimic turned her eyes to her fourth pupil.

"Preacher-chan! Move out of his way!"

Preacher shook his head.

"He won't go far enough to reach me. But whatever he wants is in the Gospel Temple. Why else would he go here?"

"Eh?" The guardians blinked.

"He can't be after the Great Gospel…" Mimic shook her head. 

Suddenly, Cell sensed a ki level in the air, and turned his head to see. He spotted Piccolo and Tien landing on their feet on two hut roofs. Cell snarled.

__

Great… This is just great… But if the old woman is going to stick with her plan…

"Cell!" Piccolo called out in anger as Tien watched the scene in shock.

"How did he get in?!" Tien wondered to himself.

Mimic turned her head up to the Namek.

"Let him do what he likes!" she shouted up to him.

As Piccolo made a surprised face, Cell smiled and relaxed, knowing the Namek would comply. Piccolo made a thinking face as Cell stared back at the steps.

"Mimic-san?" Selena asked. "If Cell decides not to go in the temple, and leave…can I beat him up on the way out?"

"No." Mimic forebode. "Leave him alone."

"Dammit!" Selena hissed, watching Cell in anger. "I can't believe this! He's finally been reduced to my level of power, and I can't fight him! God must hate me or something…"

Everyone's eyes were on Cell, and what he was trying to do. He stared at the first step, musing how he could carry out his plan. He wasn't sure what to do. Selena clutched her staff tightly, hoping Cell would turn around and walk back to the city gate.

__

Let me get a chance at him…

Please, God, let me get a chance at him…

Cell nodded his head at the step, then spread his feet apart as though he was moving into a defensive position. He roared as he powered up his ki again, this time higher, and as high as he could force himself. The ground began to shake slightly as though a harmless earthquake had erupted. The guardians and onlookers watched on as Cell's yellow aura flared around his body like a wildfire. Selena gritted her teeth.

__

Oh man… This guy is a lot more powerful that I thought he was…

Cell, still powering up, set his foot down on the first marble step. 

KT-CH!

He grew quiet, taking massive doses of pain, and kept his ki steady. 

KT-CH!

He put his other foot on the second step.

Preacher watched in horror.

__

He's…climbing…

"No…" Piccolo muttered aloud. "It…can't be…"

"How?" Tien asked himself in shock. "How is he doing this?"

Mimic shook her head in defeat.

"He is stronger than the holocram… I never thought it would have been possible…"

"Dude…" Ace shivered.

"No way…" Zeo whimpered in shock.

"…" Selena watched on in anger as Cell put his foot on the third step.

KT-CH!

Then the fourth…

KT-CH!

Then the fifth…

KT-CH!

"No…" she denied under her breath. 

Cell continued climbing the stairs at a slower pace than what he took on the street below. He looked more like he was fighting a strong wind while walking up a hill. 

KT-CH………KT-CH………KT-CH………KT-CH………

He was close enough to reach Preacher with his tail. 

Preacher took several cautious steps back, not sure what to do. All he knew for certain was that he had to protect the temple from this monster.

Watching the most experienced fighter of the four backing away from Cell made Selena snap.

"NO!" she shouted, running for the stairs. Mimic took a step foreword to stop Selena, but it was too late. The guardian jumped high into the air, and landed on a step in front of Preacher, holding out her staff to Cell. The android continued scaling the steps.

"Stay back or you die!" she shouted at him.

"…" Cell didn't reply, keeping his full concentration on one painful step at a time. Just two steps away from the guardian, Selena decided he was close enough. She jumped foreword, pushing the shaft of her staff into Cell's gut and sending him toppling over the steps. Both fell to the ground, Selena on top of Cell, holding her staff at his throat. His hand shot foreword and wrapped around her throat. Selena gagged, and dropped her staff as Cell stood up on the less painful ground.

"You are going to pay for that…" Cell growled angrily, squeezing his hand. Selena didn't even have the breath to scream.

"Tamashii no Ya!" Zeo shouted, firing his attack on Cell's back. It hit the android, causing him to fall over and let go of Selena. She rolled away quickly to keep him from falling on her. She caught her breath as Zeo rushed foreword to fight Cell. Cell quickly got to his feet and stared at Zeo with annoyance.

"You little roach!" he shouted at the approaching boy. Zeo whipped his staff foreword, about to smash his jewel end in Cell's head, but the android moved swiftly away. Zeo tried again, over and over…but Cell dodged each swing, over and over. Zeo tried for one last swing, putting all his strength into it. Cell caught the staff in his hand, and gripped it tightly. Before Zeo knew what was going on, Cell lifted the staff over his head and flung it away, taking Zeo with it and smashing him into a hut. Selena watched in horror as her friend slumped to the ground. 

She quickly got up, without her staff, and rushed foreword to attack Cell.

"Selena, stop!" Piccolo shouted from above.

"No! Selena!" Tien shouted with the Namek.

Selena didn't listen, and Cell prepared for the attack.

She jumped foreword with both fists ready. Swinging as hard and as fast as she could, she assaulted Cell with everything she had, but the android swayed away from each fist easily, not moving his feet, just pivoting his waist. He quickly got inside her attacks and flung a jab at her unprotected side. She faltered, falling over foreword, and Cell brought up his knee right in her face. Selena was flung to her back, covering her nose. Cell quickly glanced over at his potential opponents…

Ace watched on in fear behind his sunglasses as Mimic wore an expressionless face…

…Preacher watched on the temple steps in horror…

…and Piccolo and Tien were wisely keeping out of the fight.

Cell walked over to Selena, and picked her up by the collar of her gi.

"You should never have interfered, Lawless." Cell growled at Selena.

She snarled, then spat in his face. Not just saliva hit Cell's cheek, but also blood. He sighed in annoyance, and wiped it away with his free hand. He stared at her for a moment. Blood was trickling from her nose and a corner of her mouth, and tears were beginning to streak from her eyes. She looked angry and terrified at the same time. Cell half smiled at the sight. 

"You're lucky." He congratulated. "You can't feel the pain I feel beneath my feet…because of your so-called 'pure heart.' So…" He smiled a little wider, and Selena could see the malice glow in his eyes, "…allow me to demonstrate exactly what I feel!"

He balled his free hand into the tightest fist he could make…

…and slammed it with all his strength into Selena's groin!

The blow was hard enough for it to hurt like she was a man, and she screamed. 

"Oh my God!" Ace shrieked, covering his eyes. Preacher closed his eyes painfully. Even Piccolo grimaced at the sight. 

Cell dropped Selena to the ground, where she rolled onto her stomach and grabbed her sides, whimpering. Cell smirked at her.

"My pain is something like that." He explained. "Perhaps worse… But either way, I don't think you'll be walking around for at least a week."

"You damned bastard!" Selena choked as Cell turned back to the temple steps. "I'll kill you for that! It won't be here, but I'll kill you for it!"

"Dude…" Ace whimpered. "That was so wrong…"

"Ace?" Mimic turned to her pupil. "Go check on Zeo, he's not moving. I'll take care of Selena."

"Yeah." Ace nodded, running over to Zeo. As Cell walked back to the temple, Mimic knelt by Selena's side and tried to help her up. Selena screamed in pain when Mimic tried to turn the girl on her side. Ace shook Zeo's shoulder, and noted that he was unconscious.

"Dude, you lucky." Ace shook his head. "You would have died if you saw what happened a while ago…"

Cell resumed climbing up the temple steps, one by one at a slow pace. He was slowly resisting the pain, now feeling a slight pinch on his feet. Perhaps taking a break on the ground was what he needed. Preacher was still on the temple steps where Cell had left him, and the android chuckled.

"So, what will you do?" he asked the man. Preacher looked at Cell with defeated eyes, then turned around and headed back into the temple. Cell laughed triumphantly. "I thought you would comply easily…"

"No…" Selena growled, trying to get up. It hurt to move anything below the waist, but she was being stubborn. "He can't… Get into the temple…"

"Selena-chan, please stop." Mimic ordered as the girl painfully rose herself to her hands and knees. "Let me take you back to the hut. I'm sure Krillin and Sakura are very worried about you…"

"Later…" Selena suggested, raising herself up to her feet, and shaking in unbearable pain. "I can't…let Cell…win!"

"Selena…" Mimic gasped.

__

I can't decide if she has become braver or more foolish since I last saw her…

But something about her…

…has been changed by this Cell monster…

^

Cell was just congratulating himself for reaching the halfway step when…

"CELL! YOU BASTARD! GET DOWN HERE!"

Selena?

He turned his head over his shoulder and couldn't believe what he saw.

She was standing up, pissed as hell, and her aura was burning around her body. He turned fully around to her in disbelief.

"What? How are you… I thought…"

"You thought frikkin wrong!" She lowered herself into an attack position, and glared at him with all the hatred in her heart. He grinned at her.

"Alright, have it your way. I think I'm getting used to this 'holocram' now, so it shouldn't bother me anymore."

He leapt off the steps and dived down to her.

****

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Selena was still in too much pain to dodge accurately, so she jumped up into the air to avoid his plummet. He landed on his hands and knees, then jumped up after her. She kept herself in place with her aura, and Cell hovered in striking distance away from her. All she could do was defend herself from his punches and kicks the best she could. He noted that she was still feeling his hard blow earlier, and not defending as well as she used to. He backed up a small ways and quickly twisted himself around, smacking her in the face with his tail. She was flung back to the ground. He dove down to her and slammed his foot on her chest. She cried out in pain, and Cell waited until she was quiet and glaring at him.

"Even on your 'turf' I am still superior." He pointed out. "Now do you understand that I am no match for you, no matter what?"

"Yeah…" Selena groaned.

"Good." He purred. "Now surren…"

"…but I don't believe it."

"???" Cell blinked at her, then he narrowed his eyes at her. "What is there not to believe?! You have yet to win a fight against me, you still know nothing about me, and the only reason you are still alive is because I'm letting you live. Admit it!"

"I'll admit it." Selena moaned. "I'll admit that you're stronger, more powerful, and can fight better than I can…"

"So why bother challenging me at all?"

Selena grinned at him.

"…Because I have the hope and the will to keep fighting."

She powered up her aura, and Cell's foot was lifted from her body, causing the android to topple over. Selena once again stood up as Cell flipped himself to his feet. Both were glaring daggers at each other, powering their auras to their fullest.

There was a moment of stillness as the stare off began. 

Piccolo gnashed his teeth as he watched. It was too late for him to jump into the fight now. Tien felt the same way. 

Everyone watched the two, holding their breath, wondering what could possibly happen now.

There was a long wait…

Selena jumped foreword, clawing for Cell's face…

…Cell moved away…

…His tail snaked foreword…

…The syringe struck flesh…

…Selena yelped for a second before she was completely immobilized…

…Everyone gasped in horror…

…Preacher screamed in shock…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…Cell had stabbed Selena right in-between the eyes!

^

The second his tail made contact with her brain, images flashed in Cell's eyes.

"What?"

He could see Selena…

__

She was running…

What for, she wasn't sure…

She was chasing someone…

That someone opened a door, walked through, and closed it behind them…

She opened the door and ran inside…

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!"

She wasn't in a room…

She was in a forest…

"This…" Cell muttered to himself, "…is this a dream she's having?"

The scene played on before him…

__

A drop hit her hand…

She instinctively looked at it…

The drop wasn't a raindrop…

It was blood…

She looked into the sky…

The raindrops were red…

It was raining blood…

He wasn't quite sure what to make of any of it…

__

Selena was standing behind the forest, and facing a lake…

She had seen this lake before…

"Ah…yes, this is the Sacred Spring she was healed at…"

__

Selena began to run…

Everything seemed so slow…

Her foot touched the water like it was solid ground…

She began to run across the water, slightly disturbing the stillness of the lake with slow ripples…

She looked down at her feet and stopped running…

The water rippled out from her feet, warping her reflection in the lake…

She looked at the reflection…

Something was odd about it…

As the ripples began to calm, the reflection became clear…

The reflection was not Selena…

It was Cell…

"Hmm…interesting…"

__

All was black…

She could feel herself moving down…

Into the black…

She wasn't falling…

She was being dragged down…

Her hair flowed around her face as though she was underwater…

"Sakura…I have failed you…

I'm sorry…"

****

Selena?

A voice was calling out to her…

It was loud, and very clear…

And all around.

Selena opened her eyes and saw nothing but black…

"Who's there?" she called…

****

You have failed no one, Selena.

The voice came from everywhere around her…

The voice was the black…

"What do you mean?"

****

You have failed nothing…

You are still young and have much to learn…

You are a great and powerful guardian…

Look inside yourself and see the light, not the darkness…

"Who are you?" Selena called into the black…

There was no response…

"Hello?"…

The images stopped…

…and Selena had finally hit the ground. 

Cell quickly realized what he did, and yanked his tail out of her head. He stared at her in horror, not sure what exactly had happened.

__

It was one of her dreams…

But that voice…

It's oddly familiar…

"SELENA!" Piccolo screamed, jumping from the hut and lunging towards Cell. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Cell growled at the Namek, and quickly jumped aside. Piccolo landed next to Selena, and knelt by her as she coughed blood out of her throat. He quickly reached into his senzu pouch and pushed a bean down her bloody gullet. Cell watched from a safe distance away as Piccolo cleaned the blood off Selena's mouth with his cape, and she breathed in and out slowly. Her wound healed over, and damage to her brain was instantly repaired. She reached a hand out and grabbed the collar of Piccolo's cape. She was shivering.

"My…dream…" she choked. "He saw…my…" Then, she relaxed, falling into a deep sleep. Piccolo picked her up, and the guardians rushed to him.

"She's dead!" Preacher shouted in fear.

"She's alive!" Piccolo assured. "I got to her just in time." 

Cell relaxed slightly, then quickly ran out of the city, leaving behind his failure.

__

Thank God she's not dead…

"That was close, dude…" Ace sighed, putting a comforting hand on the sleeping Selena's shoulder. "Well, we better get her to the spring..."

"She's completely healed." Piccolo insisted. "In the morning, none of tonight's blows will be felt."

"Let me take her." Mimic insisted. Piccolo turned to her, and they stared at each other for a moment. Mimic smiled. "Please, Kami-sama… Hand her over to me."

Piccolo blew a sigh out his nose, and let Mimic gather the girl in her arms. Preacher helped Ace prop the still unconscious Zeo on each other's shoulders. 

"C'mon." Ace prompted his friend. "Let's get my dude to the spring."

"Alright." Preacher nodded. Both took Zeo to the Sacred Spring to heal the warrior's injuries. Mimic began walking to Krillin and Sakura's hut with the sleeping Selena.

"Thank you." Mimic nodded to the Namek. Piccolo nodded back at her, then looked at the city gates. Cell was long gone, but Piccolo glared at the city entrance with a very rare face…

…it was his "he'll-be-back" face…

****

End of Episode Bonus!

Image Songs!

((I wrote the last fight scene of Cell and Selena in this chapter to a song called "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down. It's an awesome song, and it just made me think of Selena and her "inner battle." Here it is.))

I took a walk around the world to  
ease my troubled mind.  
I left my body laying somewhere  
in the sands of time.  
I watched the world float to the dark  
side of the moon.  
I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah.  
  
I watched the world float to the  
dark side of the moon.  
After all I knew it had to be something  
to do with you.  
I really don't mind what happens now and then,  
As long as you'll be my friend at the end...  
  
If I go crazy then will you still  
call me Superman?  
If I'm alive and well, will you be  
There holdin' my hand?  
I'll keep you by my side with  
my superhuman might!  
Kryptonite!

You called me strong, you called me weak   
but still your secrets I will keep.  
You took for granted all the times I  
never let you down.

You stumbled in and bumped your head, if  
not for me then you'd be dead  
I picked you up and put you back  
on solid ground

If I go crazy then will you still  
call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be  
there holdin' my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with  
my superhuman might  
Kryptonite

Yeah!

****

((Dark song for a dark chapter. The next chapter of Unholy Crusade is the last chapter of Act 1. Would you miss it? I wouldn't! Stay tuned!))


	14. The Great Gospel, Part 5

****

Unholy Crusade

Act 1: Reign of Fear

Chapter 12: The Great Gospel, Part 5

__

Last chapter:

"SELENA!" Piccolo screamed, jumping from the hut and lunging towards Cell. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Cell growled at the Namek, and quickly jumped aside. Piccolo landed next to Selena, and knelt by her as she coughed blood out of her throat. He quickly reached into his senzu pouch and pushed a bean down her bloody gullet. Cell watched from a safe distance away as Piccolo cleaned the blood off Selena's mouth with his cape, and she breathed in and out slowly. Her wound healed over, and damage to her brain was instantly repaired. She reached a hand out and grabbed the collar of Piccolo's cape. She was shivering.

"My…dream…" she choked. "He saw…my…" Then, she relaxed, falling into a deep sleep. Piccolo picked her up, and the guardians rushed to him.

"She's dead!" Preacher shouted in fear.

"She's alive!" Piccolo assured. "I got to her just in time." 

Cell relaxed slightly, then quickly ran out of the city, leaving behind his failure.

"Thank God she's not dead…"

***

"Thank you." Mimic nodded to the Namek. Piccolo nodded back at her, then looked at the city gates. Cell was long gone, but Piccolo glared at the city entrance with a very rare face…

…it was his "he'll-be-back" face…

^

Mimic lay Selena in her bed in her hut. The master looked down at her student solemnly. 

__

My dear Shikimi…what is happening to you?

She brushed some stray hairs out of the sleeping girl's face.

__

You have changed so much…

So much anger and sadness has grown in you…

Why do you feel the need to eradicate this monster by yourself?

Preacher stood in the doorway of the hut.

"Mimic-san? Is she…"

Mimic turned and smiled at her student.

"She's fine. She'll wake up in the morning with no injury. Go on back to the temple."

Preacher sighed.

"Tonight gave everyone a scare, and the streets will have to be repaved. Thankfully, there was no damage to the temple or any homes."

Mimic nodded. She looked back down at Selena, and took the girl's hair out of her bun, letting the chocolate brown hair fall around the girl's face.

"Go to the hut where her friends are staying. Let them know Cell is gone and that Selena is fine."

Preacher bowed.

"Hai."

He left hastily.

Mimic sat down on the bed, looking down at Selena. 

__

Poor girl…

Poor, poor girl…

^

Selena's eyes fluttered open to the sound of birds outside. She moaned and turned her head to a window. Morning sunlight was flooding in through the glass. She felt total memory loss for a moment, then the events of last night came back to her. She sat up sharply, putting a hand to her head. 

She didn't feel a wound…

She put a hand to her stomach…

There was no longer a fearsome pain…

She blinked a couple of times.

__

What in hell?! I remember hurting like crazy just before I blacked out…

She looked around to see that she was in her old hut. It had been her home for about two years, and no one else lived there. She smiled at some happy memories.

__

This was the only place I ever called home…

…next to living with Papa…

She yawned and stretched her arms up. 

"Well, I guess I should go get myself breakfast…"

She changed out of her fancy yukata and changed into her fighting gi. She tied her hair up back into a high ponytail with two bangs framing the sides of her face, and walked out into the street.

There were some gracious cries from the civilians.

"Selena-san, you are alive!" one praised.

"Thank the Gods!" a female called at seeing Selena. "She is safe!"

"We are proud of your efforts." Another one beamed in pride.

"Thank you for saving the city, Selena-san!" a child shouted to her.

Selena just smiled sadly.

__

Aw man… I feel really bad now…

It's not like I won that fight…

I lost miserably…

She found her way to the eatery and sat by the service counter. She was immediately noticed by one of the cooking girls.

"Miss Selena, good morning! Are you feeling well?"

"Never been better." Selena moaned. "Give me something to eat. Anything. I don't care what it is."

The cook frowned in concern.

"You sound sad."

"Don't ask." Selena shook her head. "I guess I'll have some oatmeal."

"I'll have it ready in no time." The cook chirped. Selena watched the cook make the breakfast food from scratch, and sighed to her thoughts.

__

I don't get it. How could Cell have gotten in?

Being too strong for the holocram is no excuse to me…

And what did he want in the Temple of the Great Gospel?

There was nothing in there except for Preacher and that inlaid fountain…

"Hmmm…"

__

Could Cell have tried to summon the Gospel and use the power for himself?

Oh, c'mon, Selena! You know it's impossible!

He doesn't know the incantation! And besides, he's…

"Here you are." The cook presented Selena with a hot bowl of creamy oats.

"Wow. That was fast." Selena marveled, taking a spoon from inside the counter.

"Would you like anything to drink with it?"

"How about some milk?"

"I'll be right back." The cook nodded, walking further into the eatery. Selena began scooping up her oats and pooling them quickly into her mouth.

__

Cell with the power of the Gospel…

Impossible…

But then again…Climbing the steps of the temple was impossible too…

What if he succeeds?

I don't think he can, because he's not…

The cook came back with a cold glass of milk.

"Here's your milk."

"Thank you."

"Most certainly."

Selena finished off her breakfast in no time, and wiped her mouth clean with her white sleeve.

"Thank you again."

"Oh, most certainly, Miss Selena."

Selena left her dirty dishes on the counter and walked away back to her hut.

__

Man, I have to stop feeling so depressed…

I've done nothing to feel this way…

I guess…

I should be happy…

None of the people got hurt or killed, and the damage is minimal…

So why do I feel so down?

She got back into her hut and flopped back down on the bed.

__

Cell…

I will make you pay one of these days…

^

Krillin and Sakura found Selena in her hut, trying leather straps together. Sakura leaped into Selena's arms.

"Selena-san! You're alright!" 

Selena paused her work for a minute to hug the little girl back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get hurt, but I lost."

"Well, at least you're safe." Krillin suggested.

"Yeah." Selena nodded, going back to tying the leather cords together. Sakura watched her from the young woman's lap.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, this?" Selena held up the straps. They were tied into an X tightly with a small hole in the middle of the cross. "They're going to be gloves." She slipped the straps over her hand so that the X was across her palm. The straps tied around her pointer and ring fingers and around her wrist comfortably. "Preacher taught me how to make these a long time ago, but I told him I was more comfortable with my staff."

"Huh?" Krillin scratched his bald head. "What are you talking about?"

Selena slipped off the leather straps, and kept adjusting them to fit her hand more comfortably.

"My ki staff has what's called a ki crystal powering it. It will only work for the one who created the ki crystal, and my staff was made with my crystal. Ki crystals can be made into any shape and form, from the big one on my staff…" She held up her leather straps again for Krillin to see the small hole. "…To the small ones that will be strewn into my new gloves. What I was able to do with my staff, I can do with these gloves. I'll be able to fire ki blasts from my hands just like you guys."

"Hey, cool!" Krillin exclaimed. "Good idea." Then he laughed. "So, you're starting off with training wheels, eh? Neat."

"Training wheels?!" Selena growled. 

Krillin laughed more nervously.

"Hey, don't take it the wrong way. I'm not making fun of you."

Selena smiled. 

"I know. That was kind of an…interesting way of putting them."

"Yeah. So, when will you be done with them?"

"I'm just about done with this one, and I'll make the other one in a bit." Selena reported, slipping the leather straps over her hand again and flexing her fingers. "The ki crystals won't take long since they'll be small, about the size of a watch face." She closed her hand into a fist, and winced. "Ow…too tight…" She took the binds off and pulled on them slightly. "Anyway, I'll be ready for when Cell comes back."

Sakura gasped.

"He's coming back?"

"But he can't even get in!" Krillin exclaimed. "Bad guys can't walk on Sacred Ground!"

"That's what we all said and had proven before…" Selena bit her lip. "But I saw him… We all saw him… He even climbed the temple steps, something we knew he couldn't do… I did lose to him, but he left before Piccolo could get a piece of him. He's going to come back tonight."

"What makes you so sure?" Krillin asked, walking up to the bed.

Selena looked at him through half-closed lids.

"Do Nameks lie?"

Krillin thought about that.

"I haven't really met one who did. Why?"

"Because Piccolo said Cell was coming back tonight. And he better not be lying."

^

Cell had spent a lot of time sleeping.

Since leaving the Sacred City, he felt incredibly tired and sore. He absorbed two nearby villages of Irishmen to help replenish some strength, but it wasn't helping. He had stolen a couple of pillows and a blanket and made himself comfortable in the basement of a cottage. The holocram must have sapped a lot of his energy, making him unable to walk too far and even keep his eyes open.

He got about seven hours of sleep before waking up a bit more refreshed. The floor of the basement wasn't very comfortable, but the pillows did help a bit, cushioning his head and the base of his tail. He stood up, stretched, cracking his toes and fingers.

"Much better." He said to himself. "But not good enough…" He lowered his head in thought. "Last night wasn't a total loss. I still haven't obtained the power of the Gospel. I don't necessarily want it for myself, but I need to be sure Selena or one of the guardians can't use it against me. If I summon the Gospel for myself, I will have the ultimate power and they won't…" He smirked to himself. "…And I'd like to see the Namek try to fight me again!"

He chuckled.

"Well, I better gather more energy for tonight. I'll be needing every ounce of it."

He made his way out of the basement and into the empty village. Stabbed clothing littered the area, obviously done by Cell's tail. He looked past the damage he had done to the sky, sensing a familiar ki.

"Damn, the Namek is hunting me down again. He'll be giving up by tonight, I can promise him that!" He quickly ran back into the cottage and to the basement to hide.

^

Preacher watched Selena and Zeo spar by the Sacred Spring. He noticed that her fighting skills did improve with her travels through the years, and he noticed a strange variety of moves with her style. It was as though she had combined many different styles of fighting into one and customized the routines to her liking.

However, some of her moves looked very strange and even sent a chill up Preacher's spine…

Whenever she jabbed with a stabbing hand at Zeo…

…it reminded Preacher of a fighting move the creature Cell used last night.

__

How long has she been hunting that monster?

Long enough to copy his moves?

He moved away from the balcony and knelt by the bubbling fountain. He dipped his fingertips slightly in the water. 

__

Is it true what Piccolo told us? Cell will be back tonight?

Can this city stand another scare like that?

I couldn't…

Not if he could reach the very top of the temple…

^

The sun was setting by the time Selena had finished sparring with Zeo, and she went to work on her ki crystals. Mimic helped her solidify two small concentrations of ki into tiny orbs. Then, they both took sharp knives, and cut the solid ki into circular gems. Selena then wove leather around the jewels and wove them into her gloves. The whole task took two hours to finally complete.

Selena's ki gloves were finished, and they were snugly fit on her hands. She fired several test blasts into the air, and even tried a Tamashii no Ya by cupping her hands to make a two-handed ki blast. The tests were a success.

"Finally, my own pair…" Selena marveled at her new weapons.

"Are you sure you need them?" Mimic asked her. "You were very certain that all you needed was your staff."

"I need to learn how to fire ki blasts through my hands, and not through a stick." Selena insisted. "I can't depend on my staff anymore, I need to use my bare hands."

"Selena-chan…" Mimic sighed. "Why are you so determined to kill that monster? What did he do to you?"

Selena glared at Mimic. Didn't she see?! Selena knew the answer, but she couldn't put it into words. It was a good question, though. Why? Why should she kill Cell? Why can't she let this matter drop? What did he do to her to fuel her dedication to his death?

Selena seemed to feel that Mimic was an idiot not to see the answers.

"Everything." Selena answered. "He did everything to deserve to die. He killed people…"

"…and he hurt your pride?" Mimic raised an eyebrow.

Selena growled at her.

"Look, I'm not going to sit around and let him do this to others! You know little Sakura-chan?! Her family is dead because of that monster! Unlike me, she had no family to go to afterward, so I took it upon myself to help her. Evil people like Cell deserve death!"

"Can't you realize that you are fighting a losing battle?"

"Loosing…?!" 

Selena gnashed her teeth at her mentor. She began yelling suddenly.

"I don't need to have great superpowers or be the strongest man in the world to beat him! All I need is this!" She pointed to her forehead, indicating her brain. "I can outsmart him and I can out-do him! I can do it, I am not fighting a losing battle, and I am going to kill him! Just you wait and see!"

Mimic smiled.

"You haven't changed since you were fourteen. I'm rather disappointed."

Selena took a large calming breath through her nose.

"So, why are you smiling?"

"Because I missed you so much and I'm glad you're back."

Selena stared down at her shoes.

"Sorry, Mimic-san. I raised my voice to you, and I didn't mean it. I just felt so angry when you said…"

"Never mind it." Mimic assured. "You're easy to insult." She put a hand on her student's shoulder. "I am just so disappointed how you thirst for battle just like your enemy. Watch yourself, Selena, or you could sink down to his level. I don't think that's something you want."

Selena shook her head.

"No, that's not what I want. But I will do what I have to. Mimic-san, would you let a creature like Cell kill innocent people every day?"

"No." Mimic shook her head. "However, I wouldn't obsess myself with thoughts of revenge over it. And I wouldn't kick myself over every defeat." 

Mimic kissed Selena's forehead. Selena moaned and moved away.

"God, you're just like a mother…"

Mimic chuckled.

"I might as well be, you know. Your grandparents could never replace Zanen and Motoko…"

Selena sighed, then headed for the temple.

"I'm going to go wait for him. It'll be dark soon."

"I wish you luck, Selena." Mimic nodded. "This time, don't let the anger and hatred go to your head."

As Selena headed down the main street to the Great Gospel temple, Piccolo and Tien landed back in the city. They were unsuccessful finding Cell before the monster could reach the Sacred City.

All everyone could do now was wait for nightfall.

^

Selena stared up at the top of the Great Gospel temple, and lowered herself down to a crouch. Suddenly, she leaped high into the air, flipped foreword to steer herself, and landed on her feet on the dome roof of the temple. She sat down cross-legged, and stared at the city entrance as the sun completely disappeared behind the hills. The sky behind her was a navy blue, but the sky ahead of her was still a deep red. 

Twilight.

Preacher climbed up a pillar of the temple, and pulled himself up to the roof. He saw Selena and smiled.

"Thank goodness." He sighed with a chuckle. "I thought he came early."

"Who's 'he?' " Selena asked as Preacher walked up to her.

"You know." He suggested, standing behind her. "So, you're waiting for him…like a wife waiting for her soldier husband to come home from war."

Selena turned to him and glared.

"Bad metaphor." She snarled. Preacher half-smirked.

"It's the best one I can think of."

"Hmph." 

Selena turned away from him, and looked back to the city entrance.

"You know, Selena-san…" Preacher sighed, putting his hands behind his back, "I had a talk with your friend, Krillin…and we both agree on one thing."

"What would that be?"

"That you are completely obsessed with Cell."

Selena uncrossed her legs, and stomped her feet down hard. Then, she pulled herself up to a stand and angrily stared at Preacher.

"Take that back."

"Why? I didn't insult you."

"You just did. Now, take it back."

"Selena, tell me why you want to learn how to fly?"

"So that I can be a better fighter."

"Strange. Krillin told me your answer was to keep Cell from getting any unfair advantages."

Selena narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What are you getting at, Preach?"

Preacher scratched at itch behind his ear as he answered.

"It's unhealthy to keep the ones you hate with a passion on your mind. You can get sick by your own hatred, and even die of it. You can't let your hate get the best of you…especially when you have no personal reason to hate him."

"No personal reason?!" Selena roared. "Did you see what he did to me last night?!"

"One hit below the belt is not a reason to want to kill someone."

"Yes, it is! What if I kicked you in the sweets, what would you do?!"

"I would get even, but I wouldn't want to kill you."

Selena crossed her arms and turned her back to Preacher.

"I noticed your gloves." He pointed out. "You decided to make them, finally. I remember you clearly saying you would be fine without them."

"I was back then." Selena admitted. "But I need them now."

"You're just giving Cell another advantage."

"How?"

"You have no idea how to use your gloves because you never made them before."

"They're just like a ki staff, aren't they?"

"No, not at all."

She turned to him over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Selena shrugged.

"Fine."

"Well, stay up here if you want." Preacher invited, walking away. "I'm going to go back inside and protect the temple. I'll be waiting should Cell make it to the top."

"He won't." Selena muttered as Preacher climbed back down the pillar. "He'll have to go through me first."

She sat back down cross-legged, and pounded a fist into her hand.

The leather straps of her glove stretched across her skin tightly.

^

When the sky was completely dark, and littered with winking stars, did everyone in the Sacred City feel his presence again.

Mimic-san was standing in the main plaza, just a mile away from the temple. Her staff was in her hands. Another two miles away was the city entrance, and she could feel the monster's presence again. Her hands tightened around the wooden staff.

__

Just as predicted by Piccolo-san, Cell has returned.

^

Selena had been sitting atop the temple roof for about two hours, and was about to nod off to sleep when she felt her hand sting and pinch under her bandages.

She stood up in alarm, and looked down at the city entrance. In the darkness, she couldn't see him very well, however she could feel him clearly.

__

He's here…

And he feels even more powerful than last night…

Then, she saw a flicker of light by the entrance, and it intensified into a yellow glow. She saw his black outline in the light, and felt his power drastically increase.

Her bones shook, and she began to breathe hard.

__

Oh no…

He's a lot stronger than before…

Then, she saw him slowly walk into the city, but not as slowly as last night. He had grown somewhat accustomed to the holocram of the streets. Selena unsheathed her staff, and leaped from the temple roof to the steps. She quickly raced down them.

Preacher watched her from the temple entrance.

__

Please be careful, Shikimi-chan…

^

Selena raced down the main street, soon meeting up with Zeo and Ace. They were carrying their staffs too.

"Where's your friends?!" Zeo asked Selena quickly.

"I took them to Mimic-san's hut, on the other side of town. They'll be safer there."

"We evacuated everyone else to that area too." Zeo nodded. "We don't want Cell to find any open opportunities to gather more energy."

"What about Piccolo and Tien?" Selena asked.

"Who? The green dude and the three eyed dude?" Ace asked, looking up at the sky. "They'll be back-up. Mimic-san told them not to interfere until it looked like we were in trouble."

"Okay." Selena nodded. "Looking good."

They met up with Mimic in the plaza.

"We're ready." Zeo nodded to her.

"Let's go meet him, then." Mimic nodded, walking foreword. Her three students walked behind her. It didn't take them long to finally come within Cell's sights. They held their ground in the street as the android walked towards them. He scowled at them as Selena walked foreword.

KT-CH……KT-CH……KT-CH……

"I've been meaning to ask you something." She said to him, leaning against her staff. "Why are you walking on the holocram when you can just attack us from the air? Wouldn't that be easier for you?"

"Don't give him ideas, dude!" Ace panicked.

Cell smiled simply.

"I have thought of that." He answered. "And yes, it would be easy to attack that way. Much too easy. I want to prove to you and your pathetic band that no where is safe from me in any shape or form. I want to prove that not even your holocram can keep me out of a sanctuary."

"You're just being a fool." Zeo spoke out. "You probably felt very tired after last night. You used up a lot of energy walking around here. You'll just use up more of it now."

"Please, head our advice." Mimic spoke up as well. "Turn and leave. You have nothing here to value."

"Oh, I do." Cell grinned. "And I'm not leaving without it."

"He's not going to be talked out of this one…" Selena told her friends and master. "We'll have to kick him out."

"Yes." Mimic agreed. All four of them lined up, completely blocking the street. Cell shook his head in annoyance.

KT-CH…KT-CH…KT-CH…KT-CH…

"Did you not learn from last time?!" He growled. "Just get out of my way!"

"Only if you get out of town!" Selena yelled back, holding her staff over her shoulder like a rifle. The others followed her lead.

"Fools! All of you!" Cell shouted angrily at them. "Move!"

"Ready…" Selena commanded.

They powered ki into the jewels of their staffs…

KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT…

Cell made a run for them, making Selena panic.

"FIRE!"

All four of them shot ki blasts at Cell, and they exploded on him, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke. Cell came out of it running, and without a scratch on him. 

KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT-KT…

"Whoa, dude!" Ace yelled in fear. "Run for it!" He and Zeo jumped away behind an empty hut while Selena took their place right in Cell's path. Mimic saw that Cell was not going to stop, and if Selena didn't move she would be run over! Mimic tackled Selena to the side.

"Move out of his way!" she commanded as she and Selena bumped against the wall of a hut. Cell zoomed past them, heading for the temple. Selena pushed Mimic off her and took off after Cell.

"Now lookit what you did!" she shouted. "Gift wrap the temple for him, why don't you!" She sheathed her staff back behind her, and powered up blasts through her ki gloves. The jewels woven into her gloves began to glow and form balls of ki. 

Mimic sighed, staying where she was.

"Poor girl. Poor, poor girl…"

^

"KYAAAAAA!"

Selena fired a two handed blast at Cell's back, and they impacted! The android lost his balance and fell on his face to the street. Selena stopped running to cool off her hands, waving them in the air frantically.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow…hot, hot, hot, hot…Jesus Christ, it burns!"

Cell quickly got up and faced Selena.

"Don't waste my time, girl." He snarled. "I didn't come here for you."

"I know you didn't." Selena nodded, putting her smoking hands behind her back in embarrassment. "But I won't let you get what you came for…whatever it is."

"Hmph." Cell snorted. "You're not much of a defense, and neither are your friends. All they do is jump away from a challenge if it's too much for them."

"You aren't too much for me."

"I would like to disprove you, but I'm in a hurry. So, just stay out of my way."

"I know you're itching for a battle, Cell." Selena lowered herself into a battle position. "Don't you have time for one?"

Cell looked at her for a minute before smirking.

"You would make a good Saiyajin, Selena." He concluded, spreading his feet and crossing his arms into a defensive position. Selena jumped for him, with a ready fist. Cell ducked his head from it easily as Selena balled her other hand into a fist and threw it at him. He ducked that one too. He stood and moved backward slowly as Selena moved foreword with peppering punches. She was unable to hit him moving that fast, so she tried for a few kicks. He just swiveled out of her way. She was growing angrier with each miss.

"Hold still!" she shouted at him, throwing a harder punch. He caught it with his hand, then kicked her in the stomach and flung her over his shoulder and onto the street. She landed on her back hard, feeling her tailbone crack.

"Selena!" Zeo cried, charging for Cell. "I'm coming!"

"You again…" Cell growled at the guardian. 

Zeo swung his staff at Cell menacingly, but Cell easily blocked with his forearms. Zeo jumped up, cleared Cell's head, and landed directly behind him. Cell stabbed his tail into Zeo's foot, making the boy lose balance and fall over. Cell's tail yanked out of Zeo's foot, and whipped him in the air. He landed right next to Selena.

Ace was up next. He fired a blast from his staff, but Cell easily slapped it aside and the ki attack arched into the sky and landed outside the city. Ace ran for Cell, firing smaller, machine gun paced blasts. Cell held his hands foreword, creating a small ki shield, and the blasts were absorbed into the shield. When Ace finally got towards whacking distance, he brought his staff down on Cell. Cell leaned his head to the side, letting Zeo hit him on his neck, and the staff shattered. Ace backed away a couple of steps as Cell brought his head back up and crossed his arms.

"Well?" Cell asked, sounding very bored.

Ace balled a fist, and slammed it into Cell's face. Cell blinked a few times.

"I'm still waiting…" the android sighed.

"Aw, c'mon…" Ace muttered in helplessness. Then, he pounded hard and fast on Cell's body, doing a full circle around the android. With still no reaction from Cell whatsoever, Ace went to the last resort, and kicked Cell as hard as he could in the groin.

Still no response. Cell didn't even feel it.

"Noooo…" Ace moaned, like he was about to cry.

Cell grabbed him by the hair, and tossed him over his shoulder and into the street. He landed right next to Selena, making the three of them piled in a neat little row.

"Hi…" Selena moaned.

"Dude, what is he made of…?" Ace groaned, grabbing his head.

"He's not impossible…" Zeo sighed, still in too much pain to get up. "He's got to have a weak point somewhere…"

Cell turned and continued on his way towards the temple. Since the three guardians were still in his path, he walked on top of them. He stepped as hard as he could on their stomachs one by one with a very evil smile on his face. The three youths cried out in pain, then shouted their vulgar vocabulary in their native tongues at him when he took his foot off. When his feet touched street again, he continued on his way.

KT-CH…KT-CH…KT-CH…

"That bastard!" Selena screamed, rolling to her stomach and pushing herself up on her arms. "He literally walked all over me!"

"Way harsh, dude!" Ace moaned, sitting up and clutching his stomach.

"How many people a day does he eat?!" Zeo coughed, not bothering to get up. "He must weigh a ton. Carumba!"

"He's not getting away with this, dammit!" Selena shouted, clutching her fists and standing fully up. "He's gonna get it!"

"Wait." Mimic called, hurrying to them. She helped Zeo stand up, and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Let us try to see what he really wants. If he's after what I think he's after, then fighting him is pointless."

Selena watched Cell continue on down the street with no further inconveniences.

__

It can't be the Gospel…

There's no way he can…

He can't use it for himself…

He's not…

^

He finally arrived at the temple steps. He could sense Preacher at the top, at his destination. Cell ignored Preacher for the moment, not sensing any danger, and powered up as high as he could stress his ki.

__

The ground wasn't as painful as it was last time…

But it still hurts somewhat to walk on it…

The steps won't hurt as much either, but…

I'll still go slow…

I have no resistance on the way up anyway…

He set his foot on the first step…

KT-CH!

He growled as pain pulsed through his foot and leg, but he sucked it in and put his other foot on the second step.

KT-CH!

He clenched his teeth as he continued further up the stairs.

KT-CH…………KT-CH…………KT-CH…………

He was climbing up the steps, fighting the painful look on his face to make it more brick and emotionless. He kept his eyes on the temple, reminding himself that each step brought him closer and closer to his goal.

KT-CH…………KT-CH…………KT-CH…………

^

"There he goes again…" Tien growled, watching Cell from the roof of a building. Piccolo stood beside him. "Man, I can't believe we have to sit back and watch this monster do this! What is it he wants?!"

"We'll find out." Piccolo assured. "Nothing is out of hand yet, so just sit tight."

Tien turned to Piccolo.

"How could you be calm at a time like this?" he asked. "What if Cell…"

For the first time in a long while, Piccolo smiled in amusement.

"Cell's efforts to reach his goal are in vain. Be on alert when he finds this out."

^

Cell finally set his foot on the top step, and entered the temple. He knew what the inside looked like after his day of scouting the city, so he was not impressed. All that awaited him was the circular room with the inlaid fountain of sacred water. Preacher stood in the very back of the room, just behind the fountain.

"I guess you are proud of yourself now." Preacher assumed. 

Cell chuckled at him.

"Rather." He admitted.

Preacher waved his staff around the room for emphasis. 

"There is nothing here for you. Your efforts were fruitless. Leave now, and never trouble us again."

"Not yet." Cell shook his head. "I have not gotten what I came for."

Preacher blinked several times in confusion.

"What can you possibly take here?"

"You humans." Cell grinned. "You always think when a thief wants something, he must take something with a form of matter. Just because I want something doesn't mean I can't hold it in my hand." 

He walked toward the fountain, and Preacher got the message.

"You know about the Great Gospel…How?"

"I heard stories around the surrounding villages. It's the talk of the county. Everyone was so certain that it would protect them from me." 

Cell stepped into the fountain, standing in the very middle. 

"You do not know the incantation." Preacher reasoned. "To summon the Gospel, you must know the incan…"

"I do know it." Cell nodded. "I contain the DNA and knowledge of Piccolo, who is a part of Kami, who knows the Gospel chants by heart."

"You lie." Preacher shook his head. "You are trying to either scare me or trick me into telling you what you want."

"I don't need information from you," Cell assured, "when I already have it myself."

Cell stretched his arms stretched up to the ceiling, and he raised his head up with it. He began chanting in Latin, the words needed to summon the Gospel. Preacher pressed his back to a pillar in horror.

"You can't!" Preacher shouted at him. "You can't! You can't be doing this! This is impossible!"

Cell ignored him, noticing that a faint glow, like moonlight, was filtering from the ceiling and from the fountain around him.

^

Selena turned her head to the temple, feeling a strange energy wash over her like a warm breeze. Ace, Zeo, and Mimic felt it as well.

"Dude, what was that?" Ace wondered.

"It feels like a sacred aura." Zeo bit his lip. "It could be Preacher."

"No." Mimic shook her head. "I haven't felt this since Kami used it to seal away a horrible demon named Cinna."

"Is it the Gospel?" Selena asked her master. "Who is summoning it?"

"I'm not sure." Mimic shook her head. "But Preacher would not use it now, not when everything is still under control…"

Selena began to feel panic. The only other person who would even summon it now without thinking would be…

"No…"

She broke into a run for the temple.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Zeo and Ace ran after her. 

"Selena! Wait!"

Mimic shook her head.

"Everything is under control now, but soon…" 

She ran after her students.

^

"There he goes…" Piccolo muttered, watching Cell summon the Gospel.

"Can't we stop him?!" Tien started to panic. "I can destroy the temple…"

"There's a guardian in there." Piccolo shook his head. "You would kill him. Besides, without this temple, there would be no other opportunity to summon the Gospel should we need it the most."

"Great…" Tien gritted his teeth. "I don't want that monster getting a hold of this power."

"Just wait a little longer." Piccolo assured. "Remember what I said earlier."

^

A column of light shone on Cell from the ceiling and the fountain. It was so bright, he could no longer be seen. Preacher shielded his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Please, stop now!" he begged. He could hear Cell still chanting for the Gospel to come. 

__

It can't end this way… Preacher thought to himself in his fear. _With this kind of power, he would be unstoppable. He could even achieve the perfection Piccolo told me about…I can't let him, but I can't attack him now…_

What do I do?!

Suddenly, the light burst and disappeared. Cell was flung onto his back, breathing in and out hard. He was grabbing his chest, and snarling as though he was having a heart attack. He starting curling into a ball, spasming hard, trying to stop his convolutions. Preacher watched him curiously, slowly losing his fear. He couldn't explain what was happening.

Then, Selena appeared, after running up the flights of steps to reach the temple. She saw Cell on the ground, and she laughed at him.

"Mimic-san was right. I shouldn't have been worried."

"Selena-san?" Preacher asked. "What happened?"

"Preach, you guard the Gospel, and you don't even know the requirements of summoning it?"

"Requirements?" Preacher blinked, then he got the idea and nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see…"

Selena helped Cell stand on his feet, and he leaned against a pillar.

"I…I failed…" he muttered. "I heard a voice…saying that…I didn't have the privilege…"

"Bingo." Selena nodded. 

"But…" Cell glared, opening his eyes and staring right at Selena. "I knew what to do…I knew the chants…I knew the consequences of wielding such a power…Why can't I have the right to use it?"

"You would have gotten it," Selena shrugged, "except you're not the right kind of person to use the Gospel."

"What?"

"You aren't a guardian." Preacher explained. "You may have the genes and knowledge of one, but those don't count. You have to be initiated, otherwise you don't have the privileges as one."

"No…" Cell whimpered, falling to his knees. "I worked so hard…"

"…for nothing." Selena shook her head in pity. "Too bad, so sad. And now, I'm going to kick your ass out of this town, and once you're out I'm gonna kill you so that I don't get in trouble."

She picked him up by the headcrest and pulled him to his feet. He lashed out at her, swiping his claws over her face and scratching them hard. She fell over, and he kicked her to the other side of the room, where she smashed into a pillar. She shook as she tried to stand up.

"Selena-san!" Preacher yelled in alarm.

Cell powered up as high as he could, causing the temple to shake.

"Fine!" he yelled. "Just fine! If I can't have the Gospel for myself, then no one can! I'll just use a Kamehameha and destroy the temple! Nothing will put a stop to my plans!"

"NO!" Preacher shouted. "DON'T!"

"Damn you…" Selena growled, standing up. The claw marks on her face were bleeding, but she paid no mind. She jumped foreword, and tackled Cell to the ground. He quickly got up and punched her in the stomach several times. Then, he jabbed his elbow hard into her back, causing her to fall over. She raised her arm, and punched the back of his knee, causing him to lose balance and fall over. Just as she tried to get up, Cell grabbed her ankle as he stood, and flung her up to the ceiling. She hit the top of the temple hard with her back and fell face down to the marble floor. She didn't move.

"Selena-san!" Preacher yelled, going to her side. He turned her to her side, and found that she was breathing. He stood back up with his staff in his hands. "KUSOTARE!" He rushed foreword, swinging his staff several times at Cell, but the android dodged easily. Then, Preacher slid a small level along the bottom of his staff, and a sharp blade shot from the blunt end of the wood pole. Preacher brought the blade up swiftly, slashing Cell's throat. The monster growled, but was not effected. The cut wasn't very deep. Preacher thrusted the blade foreword at Cell, but the android dodged easily. Cell looked to the stairs and retreated to them. Preacher followed.

Selena groaned, and rolled herself back over and dropped into the fountain. She slid in until she was on her hands and knees. She took several drinks from the water, and then said softly:

"Powers that be, please listen. I was forbidden to use the Gospel, but its power is needed now. Please…grant me a small amount of the Gospel's energy. Heal my wounds, allow me to stand, and give me the strength to fight this evil."

There was a pause.

"Please, God…please?"

Then, Selena began to glow white…

^

"Let's go!" Piccolo shouted, zooming down to Cell. Tien closely followed. Cell was fighting Preacher fiercely while the boy fought back. Piccolo and Tien landed behind Cell and attacked him together. Cell sensed the back attack, and jumped into the air. Tien was rammed into Preacher, but Piccolo flew up after Cell. The heated rivals exchanged hard blows to each other, neither being on the defensive. The fight was going nowhere until Cell flipped over Piccolo's head and fired a blast on Preacher and Tien. It exploded on them, kicking up dust everywhere. After the dust cleared, Preacher and Tien were seen slumped on each other. Preacher was unconscious and bleeding from under his hair, but Tien was groaning himself awake.

Piccolo tackled Cell to the ground, and slammed him into the pavement. Cell kicked Piccolo off him and tried to make a break for the temple.

"So much for your ultimate weapon!" Cell shouted powering up a blast. "Ka…Me…"

"No!" Piccolo shouted, running for Cell. But the Namek stopped short after seeing something emerge from the temple.

"…Ha…Me…"

Cell stopped too. Something with a very bright sacred aura exited the temple and started walking down the steps. Cell powered down and lowered his hands. His eyes were wide in fear as he watched the creature walk down the steps towards him.

It was Selena, with a very small amount of the Sacred Aura flowing through her veins and fueling her ki.

Her hair had turned a very pale white, like Mimic's, and her eyes were a deep violet. She was glaring at Cell viciously, balling her hands into fists, and walking slowly down the steps.

Cell backed away a step, his fear had turned into a hatred. He narrowed his eyes at Selena and bore his fangs, hissing at her loudly like a frightened snake. She continued down to him, not changing her face or gaze. 

"The Gospel…" Piccolo gasped, backing away as well. "It doesn't quite feel like it, but it is…"

"…" Cell watched Selena descend towards him until she was just three steps away from the street.

Then, she suddenly flung herself at him and punched him in the face. The power of her aura immediately flung him away down the street. Cell flipped himself over and landed on his hands and knees, skidding to a stop. He pushed himself up to a stand and charged for Selena with his tail poised. Selena charged foreword as well, with a fist ready to strike. When she was in striking distance, she jumped into a lunge and flung her fist foreword. Cell jumped to the side, dodging the blow, and slapping her back hard with his tail. However, contact with the sacred aura flung him up into the air. Selena straightened her aching back, and jumped up after him.

Everyone watched on in amazement as Cell regained himself and rocketed up into the sky with Selena following close behind. Piccolo and Tien stayed on the ground, not wanting to accidentally hurt Selena. Mimic calmly watched on as Ace and Zeo rushed to the scene to make sure Preacher was alright. Meanwhile, up in the air, Selena fired small ki blasts from her hands at Cell, but he maneuvered himself gracefully out of the path of each one, then fired a bigger one at Selena. It hit her stomach and started pushing her to the ground. She quickly rolled out from under the ki blast, and it destroyed an empty hut. Selena growled as she rubbed her stomach.

"Wow…this sacred power is pretty good. If only I summoned it all, he would be finished off by now…"

While she was talking to herself, Cell fired another blast at her, and it hit her in the back. It exploded into a cloud of smoke, and Selena fell from it and landed on the pavement. She quickly got up as Cell zoomed down for the ground. She got up to her feet, and backed away as Cell landed right where she was a split second ago. She fired another blast at him, but he caught it in one hand and flung it up to the sky. Cell powered up his aura fuller, then lunged for Selena. Selena planted her feet fully on the ground, and readied herself for Cell's attacks. 

Using his own technique against him, Selena pivoted herself by the hip from Cell's fists and jabs. Not touching him once, she dodged everything he threw at her, then she tackled him over. The force of sacred power touching Cell flung him once again across the street. Using the liftoff speed against her, Cell grabbed Selena's waist and flung her ahead of him. While still in mid air, Cell flipped himself over until his feet were facing Selena and he kicked her stomach. He was once again propelled from her, but he was prepared for it. He fired a ki blast at her, and it hit her while she was still recovering from the kick. 

Cell landed on his feet with a smug smile, and he waited for the dust to clear.

__

I have found an advantage to the sacred aura…

I am once again unbeatable…

^

Out of power and sacred strength, Selena pushed herself up to her feet with her hands. 

__

No…I'm using the Great Gospel…just a tiny bit, but it should be enough…

I still can't beat him!

Why?!

Is there no power that can stop him?!

In her anger, she flung herself at him with a scream. She was no longer giving off her sacred power, so Cell grabbed her by the hair and flung her over his shoulder. She was twisted around in the air, and she landed by the first step of the temple. Her head came to rest on it, and she breathed in and out hard.

Cell was still smiling to himself.

"Well, I guess I am done here." He concluded. "If that was indeed the power of the Great Gospel, then I have nothing to fear after all."

"That's not it!"

Cell turned to his left to see Tien helping Preacher stand up. Preacher glared at Cell.

"I forbid Selena to ever use it, so she only summoned a fraction of it."

Cell's smile disappeared.

"Well then, be thankful that she didn't listen to you." He began walking down the street. "I'm leaving, and I have no intention of coming back this time."

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?!"

Cell stopped walking and turned around to see Selena straining to stand up. Her whole body was shaking at the attempt. Cell shook his head, making a "tsk, tsk, tsk" sound from his beak.

"You no longer have the strength to fight me, Selena." Cell reasoned. "You used up what Gospel you summoned, and you are quite injured. There is nothing worth my attention as long as you are weakened."

"You shut up!" Selena snapped. "I'm still standing! I can still fight!"

"You lost. I won. There's no point."

"You haven't won!" Selena screamed, pointing her finger at him. "You haven't won a damn thing! C'mon, let's go!"

Cell shook his head.

"Why can't you just give up, Selena, my dear?"

Selena lunged for him with a fist.

"STOP CALLING ME…" She flung her fist. "…DEAR!"

Cell caught it just before she could punch his face. She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but she was too weak and he held on too tightly. Suddenly, he shook her wrist hard once, flattening her fist out to a hand, and he gently kissed the back of her hand. Selena stood there a moment, stunned. She breathed in more slowly.

__

What's happening?

What is he doing?

Time seemed to stand still for that moment, as Selena stood scared at the monster that was kissing her hand.

She regained herself with a hard glare. She moved her hand while he still held her wrist, and slapped his cheek hard with the back of her hand! His face was hit to the side, but he otherwise didn't move. He opened one eye at her and smiled sadly.

"Pity." He sighed, letting go of her wrist and turning the way his face was going. He then walked for the city entrance to leave.

Piccolo was about to lunge after him, but Mimic held her staff in front of him.

"Let him go." She ordered. "The holocram tires out his energy. He won't get far, and the journey to where he's going will wear him out. He'll more than likely be sleeping or already dead once you find him."

Piccolo nodded at her wisdom and let the android walk free.

Selena finally fell over on her face. Ace, Zeo and Mimic rushed to her side. Mimic cradled the girl in her arms while Ace and Zeo watched Cell walked out of the city and into the open fields to God knows where.

"Looks like it's over…" Zeo sighed in relief.

Selena glared after her eternal enemy.

"No way…" she insisted. "It's just beginning."

****

End of Act 1

**End of Episode Bonus!**

((For those who missed the beginning and ending themes of Act 1, here they are. Ayumi Hamasaki sang both.))

****

Opening Theme: "Trauma"

kyou no ureshikatta kao kyou no kanashikatta kao  
kinou yowakatta jibun to ashita kitto tsuyoi jibun to  
anata nara dare ni misete ru watashi nara dare ni misereba ii  
  
jikan nante mono ha totemo toki toshite zankoku de  
demo sono zankokusa yue ni ima ga tsukurarete  
  
hito wo motome yamanai no ha isshun no kaihou ga  
yagate otozureru kyoufu ni katte iru kara  
  
ashimoto de yurete iru hana ni sae ki tsukanai mama de  
toori sugite kita watashi ha kagami ni mukaenaku natte iru  
  
kyou no ureshikatta kao kyou no kanashikatta kao  
kinou iyasareta kizu to kyou fukaku hiraita kizu wo  
anata nara dare ni misete ru watashi nara dare ni misereba ii  
  
ataerareta jibun dake no shouki to kyouki ga atte  
sono dochira mo hitei sezu ni sonzai suru nara  
  
muda na mono afurete shimatta mono yaku datanai mono mo  
mayowazu ni erabu yo sou watashi ga watashi de aru tame ni ne  
  
shiawase no kijun ha itsu mo jibun no monosashi de kimete kita kara  
  
kyou no ureshikatta kao kyou no kanashikatta kao  
kinou iyasareta kizu ga kyou hiraki dashita to shite mo  
anata nara dare ni misereru watashi nara ano hito ni misetai

****

Translation

Today's happy face, today's sad face.  
Yesterday's weak self, tomorrow's strong self.  
If it's you, who are you showing it to? If it's me, who should I show it to?  
  
Time is sometimes a cruel thing,  
but the present is made by that cruelty.  
  
Unceasingly searching for someone, an instant of release  
soon triumphs over the visiting fear.  
  
As I don't even notice the flowers shaking before my feet,  
I can't even look at myself in the mirror.  
  
Today's happy face, today's sad face.  
Yesterdays healed wounds and today's deeply opened wounds.  
If it's you, who are you showing it to? If it's me, who should I show it to?  
  
The sanity and insanity that I was given and are mine only,  
Both exist together without negating the other.  
  
Futile things, spilled things, and useless things...  
I'll choose with confidence, so I am of myself.  
  
Because I have always defined happiness with my own standards.  
  
Today's happy face, today's sad face.  
Even if yesterday's healed wounds have opened today,   
If it's you, who can you show it to? If it's me, I want to show it to that person.

****

Ending Theme: "Poker Face"

itsu datte naku kurai kantan da kedo waratte itai  
anata no ai ga hoshii yo  
  
honto no jibun no sugata ga sukoshi zutsu boyake dashite ru  
oshi yoseru hitonami no naka kotae dasenai mama sagashite ita  
uso ya iiwake jouzu ni naru hodo munashisa ni kowaku naru yo  
  
itsu datte naku kurai kantan da kedo waratte itai  
tsuyogatte tara yasashisa sae wasurechau kara sunao ni naritai  
anata no ai ga hoshii yo  
  
hito ha minna itsu datte hitori bocchi na iki mono  
da kara sou dare ka ga hitsuyou sasaeraretakute sasaete itakute  
tashika na mono ha nani mo nai keredo shinjite ru kokoro ga aru  
  
taisetsu na mono hitotsu mitsukeraretara mamori toosou  
takasugiru kabe butsukattara kizu wo ottara mata tateba ii  
hoka ni ha nani mo nozomanai kara tatta hitotsu sore dake de ii  
anata no ai ga hoshii yo

****

Translation

It's always so simple I could cry, but I want to smile.  
I want your love.  
  
My true form begins to dim little by little.  
From inside the surging crowd I push aside, as long as I can't get answers I've been searching.  
The better I become at telling lies and excuses, the more I feel afraid in the emptiness.  
  
It's always so simple I could cry, but I want to smile.  
If I become stronger I'll forget even your kindness, so I want to stay weak.  
I want your love.  
  
People are always solitary beings.  
So I need someone. I want to be supported and I want to be supporting.  
Nothing is certain, but in my heart I still believe.  
  
If an important thing is found let's protect it to the end.  
If I hit a wall that's too high and get hurt, I should stand up again.  
I don't wish for anything else, just that one is enough.  
I want your love.

((Thank you everyone for reading Act 1. I'm taking a break on the series for now to prepare for Act 2. I promise that Act 2 will be better than this, but it will be much more mature and will definitely not be for the faint of heart. Thanks again for reading! ~Masquerade))


End file.
